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G  R  !■:  AT     LEADERS     S  i:  R  I  E  S 

Edited  by  E.  HERSHEY  SNEATH,  PhD.,  LL.D. 
yale  university 


GREAT  LEADERS  OF 
HEBREW  HISTORY 


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THE  MACMILLAN  COMPANY 

NEW  YORK    •    BOSTON   •    CHICAGO  •    DALLAS 
ATLANTA   •    SAN   FRANCISCO 

MACMILLAN  &  CO.,  Limited 

LONDON  •    BOMBAY  •    CALCUTTA 
MELBOURNE 

THE  MACMILLAN  CO.  OF  CANADA,  Ltd. 

TORONTO 


GREAT  LEADERS  OF 
HEBREW  HISTORY 

FROM  MANASSEH 
TO  JOHN  THE  BAPTIST 


BY      ' 
HENRY  THATCHER  FOWLER,  Ph.D. 

Professor  of  Biblical  Literature  and  History, 
Brown  University 


J13eto  gotk 

THE  MACMILLAN  COMPANY 

1920 

All  rights  reserved 


Copyright,  1920. 

bt  the  macmillan  company 

Set  up  and  electrotyped.     Published,  September,  1920 


TO 

DR.  FRANK  KNIGHT  SANDERS 

REVERENT  AND  SCHOLARLY  INTERPRETER 
OF  THE  BIBLE 

FORMER  TEACHER  AND  CONSTANT  FRIEND 


EDITOR'S  PREFACE 

The  "  Great  Leaders  Series "  aims  to  meet  the 
needs  of  moral  and  reHgious  secondary  education. 
Adolescence  is  pre-eminently  the  period  of  Idealism. 
The  naive  obedience  to  authority  characteristic  of  child- 
hood is  to  a  large  extent  supplanted  at  this  time  by  self- 
initiative; —  by  self-determination  in  accordance  with 
ideals  adopted  or  framed  by  the  individual  himself. 
Furthermore,  the  ideals  of  this  period  are  concrete 
rather  than  abstract.  They  are  embodied  in  individual 
lives,  and,  generally,  in  lives  of  action.  Hence  biog- 
raphies of  great  leaders  appeal  strongly  to  the  ado- 
lescent. They  furnish  examples  and  stimulus  for  con- 
duct along  the  higher  lines.  The  "  Great  Leaders 
Series  "  will  include  a  large  number  of  volumes  devoted 
to  the  study  of  some  of  the  greatest  moral  and  spiritual 
leaders  of  the  race.  Although  designed  primarily  for 
use  in  the  class-room,  they  will  serve  admirably  the  pur- 
poses of  a  general  course  of  reading  in  biography  for 

youth. 

E.  Hershey  Sneath. 


PREFACE 

The  present  volume,  the  third  in  order  of  *'  The 
Biblical  Literature  Series,"  is  designed  primarily  to 
meet  the  needs  of  students  in  the  middle  years  of 
secondary  instruction. 

Leading  American  universities  and  colleges  are  now 
coming  to  allow  one  or  two  units  of  credit  In  Biblical 
history  and  literature  among  the  regular  elective  sub- 
jects for  college  entrance.  This  fact  promises  to  malce 
it  far  easier  than  in  the  past  for  secondary  schools  to 
include  Biblical  study  in  the  regular  curriculum  with  the 
same  intellectual  standards  that  are  maintained  in  the 
study  of  other  histories  and  literatures.  Such  stand- 
ards of  work  apphed  to  the  varied  writings  and  stir- 
ring history  of  the  Bible  enable  students  of  high  school 
age  to  secure  some  true  understanding  of  the  Bible's 
contribution  to  civilization.  At  the  same  time,  such 
study  gives  a  broader  and  firmer  basis  for  the  use  of 
the  Bible  in  the  development  of  personal  religious  life. 

Even  in  advanced  courses  of  Biblical  study,  much 
of  the  period  covered  in  this  volume  is  often  neglected, 
although  it  is  rich  in  inspiration  and  gives  the  essential 
background  for  an  historical  understanding  of  the  New 
Testament.  Available  text  books  for  the  period  are 
few,  and  the  writer  hopes  that  this  book,  in  addition 
to  its  primary  purpose,  may  fill  a  real  need  for  ad- 


vn 


viii  PREFACE 

vanced  classes  in  Sunday  Schools  and  in  Young  Men's 
and  Young  Women's  Christian  Associations.  Possibly 
the  general  reader  too  may  find  some  of  the  chapters 
opening  up  new  fields  of  interest. 

The  book  is  planned  with  the  thought  that,  where 
time  is  limited,  only  the  text  of  the  chapters  need  be 
studied.  If  it  is  possible  to  give  two  lessons  to  each 
of  the  thirty  chapters,  one  of  these  may  be  devoted  to 
the  mastery  of  the  text  and  the  other  to  the  study  of 
the  references  at  the  close  of  the  chapter.  When  the 
subject  is  to  be  offered  for  college  entrance,  the  latter 
method  should  certainly  be  followed.  In  general,  the 
references  give  the  principal  sources  on  which  the  state- 
ments of  the  text  rest.  Especially  in  Biblical  study, 
where  interpretations  have  differed  so  widely  and, 
where  clear  convictions  are  so  vital  to  life  and  charac- 
ter, students  may  well  be  encouraged  to  go  to  the 
sources  and  make  up  their  own  minds  as  to  the  truth 
or  error  of  conclusions  drawn  from  these.  In  con- 
nection with  some  of  the  chapters,  it  will  be  practicable 
for  each  student  to  read  all  the  references;  where  the 
passages  are  too  long  for  this,  assignments  may  readily 
be  made  for  individual  report. 

Henry  Thatcher  Fowler. 
Brown  University, 
i4May,  1920. 


APPENDIX 
BOOKS  FOR  STUDENT  AND  TEACHER 

Each  student  should  be  provided  with  a  copy  of  the 
Bible,  preferably  the  Revised  Version.  This  both 
gives  a  more  exact  representation  of  the  original  than 
the  King  James  Version  and  by  its  arrangement  in 
natural  paragraphs  instead  of  short  verses,  makes  con- 
nected reading  more  intelligible.  The  American 
Standard  Edition,  Minion  i6mo.  Black  Faced,  Self-Pro- 
nouncing, is  recommended  as  convenient  in  size,  inex- 
pensive, and  of  good,  clear  type.  The  indication  of 
the  pronunciation  of  proper  names  is  a  particularly  use- 
ful feature  for  students. 

In  connection  with  Chapters  XXI  and  XXIII  the 
references  are  taken  from  I  Maccabees  of  the 
Apocrypha.  The  Revised  Version  of  the  Apocrypha 
is  issued  by  the  Oxford  and  Cambridge  Presses.  The 
King  James  Version  will  answer,  however,  for  the 
selections  from  Maccabees. 

The  references  for  Chapters  XXV  to  XXIX  in- 
clusive, are  taken  from  Josephus.  Fifty  years  ago, 
Whiston's  translation  of  the  works  of  Josephus  was 
generally  accounted  an  essential  part  of  the  equipment 
of  an  American  home.  If  students  have  not  inherited 
a  set,  Jthey  may  well  be  encouraged  to  purchase  an  edi- 
tion of  Josephus  as  one  of  the  foundations  of  a  per- 


X  BOOKS  FOR  STUDENTS 

sonal   library.     The    translation   by   Shilleto,    in   five 
handy  volumes,  may  be  recommended. 

Most  of  the  standard  Old  Testament  histories  deal 
more  or  less  fully  with  the  period  treated  in  the  present 
volume.  C.  F.  Kent,  "  History  of  the  Hebrew  People, 
Divided  Kingdom,"  "  History  of  the  Jewish  People, 
Babylonian,  Persian,  and  Greek  Periods,"  J.  S.  Riggs, 
"  History  of  the  Jewish  People,  Maccabean  and 
Roman  Periods,"  Charles  Scribner's  Sons,  New  York, 
will  be  found  very  valuable  for  the  use  of  the  teacher. 
H.  P.  Smith,  "  Old  Testament  History,"  Scribner,  also 
deals  adequately  with  the  history  down  to  the  begin- 
ning of  Herod's  reign.  E.  Schurer,  "  Jewish  People  in 
the  Time  of  Jesus  Christ,"  5  volumes,  Scribner,  is  the 
great,  standard  work  on  the  time  from  168  B.  c.  on- 
ward. Shailer  Matthews,  "  A  History  of  New  Testa- 
ment Times  in  Palestine,"  The  Macmillan  Company, 
New  York,  is  an  admirable  briefer  treatment  of  the 
period  covered  by  Schurer.  Of  the  shorter  histories, 
mention  may  be  made  of  R.  L.  Ottley,  "  History  of 
the  Hebrews,"  Macmillan;  I.  J.  Peritz,  "Old  Testa- 
ment History,"  The  Abingdon  Press,  New  York;  F.  K. 
Sanders,  "  History  of  the  Hebrews,"  Scribner. 

The  development  of  the  Biblical  writings  in  connec- 
tion with  the  history  of  Israel  is  treated  with  some 
fullness  in  H.  T.  Fowler,  "  A  History  of  the  Literature 
of  Ancient  Israel,"  Macmillan,  and  in  F.  K.  Sanders 
and  H.  T.  Fowler,  "  Outlines  for  the  Study  of  Biblical 
History  and  Literature,"  Scribner.  The  latter  volume 
contains  many  references  to  the  best  critical  works.  I. 
F.  Wood  and  E.  Grant,  "  The  Bible  as  Literature," 


BOOKS  FOR  STUDENTS  xi 

Abingdon  Press,  and  J.  F.  Genung,  "  A  Guide  Book  to 
the  Biblical  Literature,"  Houghton-Mifflin  Company, 
Boston,  offer  helpful  material  for  the  teacher. 

The  standard  Old  Testament  "  Introductions  "  of 
Driver,  Creelman,  McFadyen,  Cornill,  Gray,  and 
Moore  discuss  the  literary  history  of  each  Old  Testa- 
ment book. 

Thorough  articles  on  each  Biblical  book  and  leader 
of  Hebrew  history  are  given  in  "  The  Encyclopaedia 
Biblica,"  4  volumes,  Macmillan,  and  Hastings,  "  A 
Dictionary  of  the  Bible,"  5  volumes,  Scribner.  Reli- 
able briefer  articles  will  be  found  in  "  The  Encyclo- 
paedia Britannica,"  "  The  Encyclopaedia  Americana," 
Hastings,  "  Dictionary  of  the  Bible  Complete  in  One 
Volume,"  and  "  The  Standard  Bible  Dictionary." 


CONTENTS 


CHAPTER  PACE 

I     Manasseh  the  King  Who  Tried  to  Stop 

Reform i 

II     JosiAH   THE   King  Who   Led  the    Great 

Reform ii 

•III     Re-awakening    of    Prophecy    in    Josiah's 
.;  Reign  —  Zephaniah  and  Jeremiah  .      .     21 

IV     Struggle   of   Jeremiah   in   the   Time   of 

Reaction 30 

" .  V     Habakkuk,  Jeremiah,  and  the  Coming  of 

THE  Babylonians 41 

VI     Jeremiah  AND  the  Fall  of  Jerusalem  .      .     51 

VII      EZEKIEL      AND      HiS      EaRLY      MeSSAGE      IN 

Babylon 60 

VIII  Ezekiel  AND  the  Fall  of  Jerusalem  .     .     69 

IX     Ezekiel  and  the  Future 78 

X    The  Great  Unknown 87 

XI     Haggai,  a  Practical  Man 96 

XII  Zechariah,  a  Seer  of  Visions     ....    105 

XIII  Malachi  THE  Messenger 115 

XIV  Nehemiah  Rebuilds  the  Walls     .      .      .123 
XV  Nehemiah  Establishes  Judaism     .      .      .134 

XVI     Ezra  and  the  Bible 142 

XVII     Joel  Interprets  A  Calamity 152 

XVIII     The  Wise  Men 160 

XIX    Job,    the    Man    Who    Questioned    and 

Found  God 169 


CONTENTS 

CHAPTER  PAGE 

XX  Jonah  and  the  Gospel  Message     .      .      .179 

XXI     Judas  the  Hammer 188 

XXII     A  Helper  of  Judas 197 

XXIII  The  Maccabean  Brothers 206 

XXIV  The  Story  OF  Esther 214 

XXV  John  Hyrcanus  and  His  Unworthy  Sons  223 

XXVI     PoMPEY  Takes  Control 232 

XXVII  Rise  of  the  House  of  Herod    ....  240 

XXVIII     Herod  the  King 248 

XXIX  The  Beast  in  Man  and  the  Prophet  of 

God 257 

XXX  Review  and  Conclusion  ........  267 


ILLUSTRATIONS 


FACING 
PAGE 


Excavations  at  the  Temple  of  Enlil 60 

The  Dragon  of  the  Ishtar  Gate 88 

The  Lion  of  the  Procession  Street 88 

The  Samaritan  High  Priest 138 

The  Attacking  Hosts  of  Locusts 152 

Winged  Bull 202 

Winged  Lion 202 

Substructures  of  Temple  Area 254 

Reconstruction  of  Herod's  Temple 254 

Site  of  Herodium 258 

LIST  OF  MAPS 

Southwestern  Asia 11 

Palestine .;.>..      .      ,124 


GREAT  LEADERS  OF  HEBREW 
HISTORY 

CHAPTER  I 

MANASSEH,  THE  KING  WHO  TRIED  TO  STOP  REFORM 

The  story  in  the  second  volume  of  Old  Testament 
history  and  biography  closed  at  a  time  when  the  nation 
of  Judah  was  moving  forward.  This  third  volume  be- 
gins with  a  king  who  tried  to  stop  progress  toward 
better  things. 

Manasseh's  accession.  King  Hezekiah  had  under- 
taken reforms  called  for  by  the  prophets  Isaiah  and 
Micah.  Upon  his  death  his  twelve-year-old  son 
Manasseh  came  to  the  throne.  It  seems  scarcely  prob- 
able that  he  could  have  become  the  real  ruler  in  the 
state  until  he  was  a  few  years  older.  It  may  be  that 
the  forces  of  reaction  found  opportunity  to  overthrow 
the  reform  party  while  the  king  was  still  too  young  to 
control  the  government. 

Forces  of  reaction.  The  reforms  that  had  been 
carried  out  by  Hezekiah  must  have  had  many  bitter 
opponents  eagerly  watching  for  a  chance  to  bring  back 
the  old  conditions.  When  the  farmers  had  poor  crops 
or  lost  their  cattle,  they  would  be  sure  that  the  mis- 
fortune was  sent  by  the  old  baals  of  the  land  who  were 


2        GREAT  LEADERS  OF  HEBREW  HISTORY 

angry  because  their  worship  had  been  stopped.  It 
might  even  be  thought  that  the  God  of  Israel  was  dis- 
pleased because  Hezekiah  had  interfered  with  his  wor- 
ship at  some  of  the  old  high  places.  We  can  be  sure 
that  the  land  grabbers  and  bribe-taking  office  holders, 
who  had  been  attacked  by  the  prophets,  would  encour- 
age such  superstitious  ideas.  They  all  wanted  to  go 
back  to  the  good  old  days  when  nobody  interfered  with 
their  methods  of  getting  rich.  It  must  have  been  a 
time  of  great  distress  for  all  the  rich  money  lenders, 
land  holders,  and  government  officials  when  King 
Hezekiah  hearkened  to  the  sermons  of  Isaiah  and 
Micah,  as  they  denounced  growing  monopoly  of  the 
land  and  all  sorts  of  oppression  of  the  poor.  Such  men 
would  be  the  most  powerful  enemies  of  Hezekiah's 
reforms. 

We  do  not  know  what  the  boy  king  thought  at  first 
of  the  changes  made  against  his  father's  policies,  but 
when  he  became  a  man,  we  find  him  in  full  sympathy 
with  the  party  of  reaction  and  foremost  in  bringing  back 
all  the  evils  that  Hezekiah  had  sought  to  drive  out. 
Either  the  influences  that  surrounded  Manasseh's  youth 
or  his  own  evil  nature  brought  this  great  misfortune  to 
the  kingdom. 

Augury  and  enchantments.  The  earliest  prophets 
of  Israel  saw  the  demoralizing  influence  of  augury  and 
enchantments,  of  dealing  with  familiar  spirits  and 
wizards.  They  taught  that  the  God  of  Israel  made  his 
will  known  directly  to  the  heart  and  conscience  of  the 
prophet  who  would  listen  to  the  still,  small  voice.  The 
Canaanites,  among  whom  the  Hebrews  had  settled,  and 


MANASSEH  3 

the  great  nations  outside  with  which  they  came  in  con- 
tact, still  thought  that  the  divine  will  was  to  be  learned 
by  consulting  all  sorts  of  omens.  They  carefully  ob- 
served the  shape  of  the  liver  or  other  organs  of  the 
bodies  of  the  animals  slaughtered  for  sacrifice,  the  flight 
of  birds,  and  the  movements  of  the  heavenly  bodies. 
They  thought  that  some  people  were  witches  who  could 
get  information  from  superhuman  beings  or  from  inter- 
course with  the  dead. 

We  can  realize  how  far  the  prophets  of  Israel  were 
in  advance  of  their  times  in  opposing  all  such  foolish, 
superstitious  practices,  if  we  remember  that  even  the 
highly  educated  Greeks  and  Romans  still  thought  such 
methods  useful,  many,  many  centuries  after  the  pro- 
phets had  tried  to  drive  them  out  of  Israel.  It  is  not 
strange  that  the  people  and  some  of  their  rulers  could 
not  be  led  to  take  the  high  ground  which  the  prophets 
demanded,  without  a  long,  hard  struggle.  So  in 
Manasseh's  day,  when  Isaiah  and  Hezekiah  were  dead, 
the  nation  readily  turned  back  to  augury  and  en- 
chantments,  familiar  spirits  and  wizards. 

Child  Sacrifice.  The  people  of  Canaan  and  the  dis- 
tricts round  about  believed  that  the  gods  wished  men 
to  give  their  most  precious  treasures  as  sacrifices  to 
them,  just  as  human  kings  wished  the  most  costly  trib- 
ute from  their  subjects.  It  was  their  custom,  there- 
fore, to  seek  divine  favor  by  offering  the  most 
precious  possession  of  all  —  their  ow^n  children. 
Israel's  religious  teachers  had  very  early  struggled 
against  this  horrible  superstition.  The  beautiful  story 
of  Abraham  and  his  attempted  sacrifice  of  Isaac  will 


4        GREAT  LEADERS  OF  HEBREW  HISTORY 

be  recalled  as  an  example  of  how  they  tried  to 
show  the  people  that  the  God  of  Israel  did  not  desire 
human  sacrifice.  In  Manasseh's  time  even  the  burnt 
offering  of  children  came  back,  along  with  the  other 
religious  practices  which  the  prophets  had  tried  to 
drive  out  of  the  land.  No  doubt  king  and  people 
alike  thought  that  only  by  restoring  the  old-time  re- 
ligion could  they  win  divine  favor  and  so  secure  pros- 
perity. 

The  true  God  and  popular  rights.  The  people  as 
a  whole  did  not  realize  that  the  rights  of  the  poor 
and  weak  against  the  rich  and  strong,  which  the  eighth 
century  prophets  had  demanded,  would  be  lost  along 
with  the  prophets'  high  idea  of  God.  It  was  probably 
just  about  this  time  that  a  prophet  who  saw  how  the 
two  things  could  be  reconciled,  wrote  that  wonderful 
little  drama  (Micah  6:  i-8)  to  teach  that  the  true  God 
did  not  desire  tribute  of  rams  or  the  firstborn  son,  but 
that  men  should  do  justly  and  love  mercy  and  walk 
humbly  with  him. 

Prophets  silenced.  Before  many  years  all  the  true 
prophets  were  silenced  by  the  ruthless  king,  who  shed 
much  innocent  blood  till  he  had  filled  Jerusalem  from 
one  end  to  another.  Late  Jewish  tradition  has  it  that 
Isaiah  was  sawn  asunder  at  this  time.  If  the  great 
prophet  did  live  on  till  the  opening  of  Manasseh's 
reign,  it  is  not  unlikely  that  his  enemies  then  found 
their  chance  to  inflict  cruel  death;  even  in  extreme  old 
age,  he  would  have  been  a  dangerous  opponent  of  the 
forces  of  reaction.  Except  for  a  few  sentences  in  the 
latter  part  of  the  book  of  Micah  we  have  little  or  no 


MANASSEH  5 

prophetic  preaching  that  cones  from  the  time  of  Man- 
asseh.  No  doubt  the  much  innocent  blood  that  the 
king  shed  Included  that  of  any  true  prophets  or  their 
loyal  followers  who  dared  to  defend  the  religion  that 
Amos,  Hosea,  Isaiah,  and  Micah  had  preached  in  the 
preceding  century.  The  new  century,  some  thirteen 
years  old  at  Manasseh's  accession,  would  have  none  of 
it. 

Anti-prophetic  program.  Manasseh  and  the  anti- 
prophetic  party  did  not  content  themselves  with  re- 
storing the  evils  the  great  prophets  had  attacked;  they 
had  their  own  program  to  carry  out.  The  program 
included  the  introduction  of  the  gods  of  Babylonia  into 
the  very  temple  of  Jehovah  in  Jerusalem.  Manasseh 
may  not  have  intended  to  exclude  the  God  of  Israel 
from  the  temple  built  in  his  honor  three  hundred  years 
before,  but  at  least  the  Lord  must  share  his  ancient 
house  with  the  deities  of  the  great  eastern  empires. 
For  them  the  king  erected  altars  in  the  two  courts  of 
the  temple. 

We  can  easily  understand  why  Manasseh  introduced 
the  foreign  gods.  Although  Assyria  had  met  with 
disaster  in  her  campaign  against  Egypt  during  the  latter 
part  of  Hezekiah's  reign,  her  power  was  not  long  with- 
drawn from  Palestine.  Esarhaddon  came  to  the 
throne  while  Manasseh  was  still  a  youth  and  began  a 
succession  of  campaigns  against  Egypt.  Again  and 
again  his  armies  marched  through  Palestine.  The 
next  Assyrian  king,  Ashurbanipal,  attained  the  long- 
sought  goal,  the  conquest  of  Egypt.  In  the  middle  por- 
tion of  Manasseh's  long  reign,  the  Assyrian  king  ruled 


6        GREAT  LEADERS  OF  HEBREW  HISTORY 

from  Armenia  to  the  upper  Nile.  Manasseh  was  his 
submissive  vassal.  In  common  with  other  kings  of  the 
west  land,  he  is  mentioned  in  the  Assyrian  records  as 
providing  timber  for  use  at  Nineveh  and  as  furnishing 
his  quota  of  forces  for  the  campaigns  against  Egypt. 

If  Isaiah  had  lived,  he  would  have  seen  his  advice 
against  Egyptian  alliance  fully  vindicated.  He  might 
have  approved  Manasseh's  paying  of  tribute,  but  he 
would  most  certainly  have  opposed  the  kind  of  submis- 
sion that  Manasseh  adopted  when  he  introduced  into 
the  temple  altars  for  the  eastern  gods  of  sun,  and 
moon,  and  planets.  Manasseh  and  many  of  the  people 
had  no  conception  of  the  exclusive  character  of  true 
Jehovah  worship.  To  them  it  seemed  the  natural  and 
politic  course  to  honor  the  deities  of  the  conqueror  in 
the  royal  sanctuary  at  Jerusalem. 

Secret  activities  of  the  prophetic  party.  On  the 
surface  of  the  nation's  life,  all  was  as  dark  as  it  could 
be  for  the  religious  and  associated  social  reforms  that 
the  prophets  had  brought  about,  yet  it  was  not  pos- 
sible for  the  new  king  and  his  nobles  wholly  to  stop  the 
great  currents  of  truth  that  had  swept  on  so  gloriously 
in  Hezekiah's  reign.  The  stream  might  be  forced 
under  ground,  but  its  pure  waters  would  flow  on,  to 
burst  forth  again  in  a  living  fountain.  From  public 
speech,  the  true  teachers  of  Israel  turned  to  writing. 
The  reign  of  Manasseh,  so  dark  on  its  public  side,  be- 
came one  of  the  most  important  epochs  in  the  writing 
of  the  Old  Testament. 

Books  of  prophecy.  Prophetic  history.  It  was 
only  now,  we  suppose,  that  the  addresses  of  the  four 


MANASSEH  7 

great  prophets  of  the  previous  century  were  collected 
and  edited  as  small,  separate  books.  The  wonderful 
stories  of  Genesis,  Exodus,  Numbers,  Joshua,  Judges, 
and  Samuel,  preserved  as  separate  histories  in  northern 
and  southern  Israel,  were  now  put  together  in  a  much 
more  complete  form  than  they  had  been  before. 
These  stories  were  told  in  such  a  way  as  to  illustrate 
the  great  truths  that  the  followers  of  the  prophets  de- 
sired to  preserve  and  impress  upon  the  hearts  of  their 
countrymen.  Abraham,  Joseph,  Moses,  Joshua,  the 
Judges,  Samuel,  and  David  passed  in  wonderful  pro- 
cession before  the  inner  eye  of  those  who  read  these 
stories,  and  spoke  to  their  hearts  the  lesson  that 
Jehovah  alone  should  receive  the  homage  of  Israel  and 
that  his  true  followers  should  do  justly,  love  mercy,  and 
walk  humbly  with  him.  Thus  the  historians  who  put 
together  and  enlarged  the  great  treasury  of  national 
traditions  from  Judah  and  Israel  in  Manasseh's  reign 
were  able  to  teach  the  great  truths  of  the  prophets  just 
as  effectively,  in  the  long  run,  as  the  prophets  them- 
selves could  have  done. 

Composition  of  Deuteronomy.  Another  important 
work  of  Manasseh's  time  was  the  composition 
of  the  original  book  of  Deuteronomy.  The  history  of 
antiquity  which  had  recently  been  compiled  contained 
a  short  code  of  laws.  These  laws  dealt  with  such  sub- 
jects as  the  building  of  altars,  observing  Sabbaths  and 
other  religious  seasons,  the  freeing  of  Hebrew  slaves, 
assault  and  murder,  kidnaping,  stealing,  putting  a 
sorceress  to  death,  sacrificing  to  any  god  except 
Jehovah,  wronging  the  unprotected,  foreign  sojourner. 


8        GREAT  LEADERS  OF  HEBREW  HISTORY 

widow,  or  orphan.  It  was  a  code  that  in  most  of  its 
laws  embodied  the  ideas  of  the  prophetic  party  and 
condemned  the  sort  of  thing  that  Manasseh  and  his 
party  upheld.  It  was,  however,  brief  and  failed  to 
deal  with  many  duties  that  should  be  performed  in  car- 
rying out  the  teachings  of  the  great  prophets. 

Taking  the  little  collection  of  laws  already  in  exist- 
ence as  the  basis,  the  authors  of  Deuteronomy  prepared 
a  much  more  complete  guide  for  the  daily  life  of  the 
Hebrew.  To  the  admirable  laws  of  the  earlier  collec- 
tion, it  added  many  rules  for  the  practice  of  justice  and 
kindness.  It  made  provision,  for  example,  for  the 
poor  to  have  some  share  in  the  crops,  or  again,  for  the 
servants,  foreigners,  widows,  and  orphans  to  partake 
of  the  Thanksgiving  dinner  that  was  held  in  the  fall 
when  the  grape  harvest  was  gathered.  As  an  introduc- 
tion to  the  law  code,  they  wrote  a  wonderful  sermon 
urging  the  people  to  love  Jehovah  with  all  their  hearts 
and  to  keep  the  laws  of  this  God  who  dealt  justly  by 
those  who  were  not  able  to  protect  themselves. 

Manasseh's  success  and  the  prophets'  success. 
The  king  had  tried  to  silence  in  death  the  teachers  who 
insisted  that  Israel  should  worship  only  that  God  whose 
true  service  required  honesty,  fair  dealing,  purity,  and 
generous  care  for  the  helpless.  He  had  succeeded 
to  the  extent  of  preventing  their  voices  from  being 
raised  in  the  streets  or  the  courts  of  the  temple,  but 
he  had  stimulated  them  to  put  their  teachings  into  the 
more  permanent  form  of  written  narrative,  exhorta- 
tion, and  law.  A  little  later  this  law  book  would  lead 
to   a  great  reform,   far  beyond  that  undertaken  by 


MANASSEH  9 

Hezekiah,  and  the  writings  would  remain  through 
many  future  centuries  as  inspiration  and  guide  lor  the 
people  of  Judah  and  at  last  for  all  Christendom  as 
well. 

So  long  as  Manasseh  ruled,  the  old-new  law  code 
could  not  be  publicly  read,  nor  freely  copied  and  dis- 
tributed. It  was  hidden  away  somewhere  about  the 
temple  and  was  probably  forgotten.  Its  writers  may 
even  have  died  before  a  favorable  opportunity  came  for 
publishing  this  very  important  book. 

Manasseh  ruled  for  about  half  a  century.  The  na- 
tional historian,  who  wrote  a  generation  or  two  later, 
deemed  the  fifty  years  worthy  of  about  five  hundred 
words,  and  these,  words  of  bitter  condemnation. 
Looking  back  over  the  centuries  we  find  the  period 
illustrating  some  important  truths  of  history.  Efforts 
for  social,  political,  and  religious  reform,  even  when 
they  are  successful,  like  those  of  Isaiah  and  Micah, 
often  rouse  the  forces  of  evil  to  counter  attacks  which 
sweep  back  the  forces  of  progress  and  leave  the 
trenches  in  the  possession  of  the  grafters,  monopolists, 
and  cheats,  supported  by  the  men  who  think  that  re- 
ligion is  all  a  matter  of  forms  and  worship  which  ought 
not  to  get  into  business  and  politics.  So  it  was  in  Man- 
asseh's  time,  but  "  Rome  was  not  built  in  a  day,"  and 
it  takes  far  longer  to  change  this  stubborn  old  human 
nature  of  ours  than  it  does  to  build  a  city  and  empire. 

Manasseh  died  and  his  son  Amon  followed  in  his 
father's  footsteps  during  his  short  reign  of  two  years. 
When  his  son,  another  boy-king,  came  to  the  throne, 
the  forces  of  good  came  back  to  the  attack  with  such 


lo      GREAT  LEADERS  OF  HEBREW  HISTORY 

equipment  as  they  had  never  had  before.  Their  chief 
weapon  was  the  book  of  Deuteronomy  composed  by 
men  who  dared  believe  that  the  will  of  God  would  yet 
be  done  on  earth,  though  his  followers  had  been  de- 
feated and  his  name  dishonored.  Because  the  book 
of  Deuteronomy  was  composed  in  Manasseh's  black 
reign,  that  half  century  was  one  of  the  most  important 
periods  in  the  history  of  ancient  Israel,  This  should 
become  clear  as  we  study  the  next  king.  Manasseh 
might  turn  back  the  hands,  but  he  could  not  stop  the 
clock. 

Important  Biblical  references:  II  Kings  20:21—21:26; 
Exodus  22:5-6,  25-27:  23:  1-13;  Deuteronomy  11;  15:7-8; 
16: 13-14;  20: 19-20;  22: 1-4,8;  24: 10-22;  25: 13-16. 


I 


SOUTHAV^E  STERN     ASIA 


Intlul.  M>I.« 


4C 


CHAPTER  II 

JOSIAH    THE    KING    WHO    LED   THE    GREAT    REFORM 

Josiah  vs.  Manasseh.  Manasseh's  son  Amon  was 
overthrown  by  a  palace  intrigue;  then  the  people  arose, 
killed  the  assassins,  and  placed  the  eight-year-old  son 
of  Amon  upon  the  throne.  It  would  be  interesting  to 
know  more  than  we  do  of  the  influences  which  sur- 
rounded this  boy-king  for  the  next  ten  or  twelve  years. 
Whatever  they  were,  while  he  was  still  a  young  man 
he  completely  reversed  the  policy  of  his  father  and 
grandfather.  The  history  offers  an  interesting  con- 
trast to  that  of  the  grandfather,  the  other  boy-king, 
who  led  the  movement  that  tried  to  undo  all  the  good 
achievements  of  his  father's  reign. 

A  prince  prophet.  The  year  that  Josiah  reached 
the  age  of  twenty-one  a  notable  prophet  began  to 
preach.  His  ancestry  is  traced  back  to  a  great-grand- 
father named  Hezekiah.  It  is  almost  certain  that  this 
was  King  Hezekiah,  also  the  great-grandfather  of 
Josiah.  In  that  case  the  prophet  Zephaniah  was  of 
the  royal  family  and  a  cousin,  in  some  degree,  of  King 
Josiah.  It  has  been  conjectured  that  the  prophet- 
prince  may  have  been  the  instructor  of  the  young  king. 
Whether  this  is  so  or  not,  the  history  shows  that  the 
king  was  not  the  only  worthy  descendant  of  Hezekiah 
and  that  Manasseh  had  not  been  able  to  root  out 
loyalty  to  Jehovah  even  within  the  royal  family. 


12      GREAT  LEADERS  OF  HEBREW  HISTORY 

Influences  favoring  a  change.  Various  forces 
united  with  the  young  king's  character  to  make  the 
time  favorable  for  a  new  forward  movement.  Many 
who  at  first  were  in  sympathy  with  Manasseh's  policy 
must  have  been  repelled  by  the  extremes  to  which  he 
had  gone  in  introducing  foreign  worship  and  In  perse- 
cuting the  prophetic  party.  In  addition,  Assyria's  star 
had  begun  to  wane  and  the  worship  of  the  gods  she 
honored  would  not  now  seem  such  a  sure  source  of 
strength  as  It  had  a  generation  before.  Just  before 
Josiah's  accession,  the  last  great  Assyrian  ruler,  Ashur- 
banlpal,  had  four  captive  kings  harnessed  to  his  chariot 
to  draw  him  to  the  temple  of  Ishtar  at  Nineveh.  Vic- 
torious from  Egypt  to  Armenia  In  the  north  and  Elam 
on  the  south-east,  this  monarch  ruled  the  largest  ter- 
ritory ever  controlled  by  the  Assyrians.  Judah  was 
a  tiny,  vassal  state  in  this  great  empire,  honoring  In  the 
temple  of  its  own  god  the  deities  worshipped  by  the 
great  overlord,  the  splendid  Sardanapalus  of  Greek 
tradition. 

During  the  early  years  of  Josiah's  reign  all  was 
quiet  In  the  empire,  and  Judah,  with  the  other  subject 
states,  must  have  enjoyed  an  era  of  peace  and  pros- 
perity. About  the  thirteenth  year  of  Josiah's  reign 
Ashurbanipal  met  his  death,  but  before  that  the  empire 
had  fallen  Into  confusion.  The  Median  tribes  In  the 
mountainous  territory  to  the  east  of  Assyria,  now 
welded  Into  a  sort  of  national  unity,  were  making  deter- 
mined attack  upon  Nineveh.  Psamtik,  the  vassal  king 
of  Egypt,  had  taken  advantage  of  the  situation  to 
withhold  tribute  and  make  himself  practically  Independ- 


JOSIAH  13 

ent.  Babylonia,  under  an  able  Chaldean  ruler  from 
the  shores  of  the  Persian  Gulf,  was  about  to  throw  oft 
the  Assyrian  yoke  entirely.  At  the  same  period,  there 
appeared,  pouring  down  through  the  passes  of  the  Cau- 
casus between  the  Black  and  Caspian,  hordes  from 
north  of  the  Black  Sea.  These  are  known  to  us,  by  the 
name  which  the  Greeks  applied  to  them,  as  Scythians. 
The  Greek  historian  Herodotus  gives  a  vivid  descrip- 
tion of  their  wonderful  horsemanship  and  fierce,  bar- 
baric warfare. 

The  Scythian  invasion  forced  the  Medes  to  raise  the 
siege  of  Nineveh  and  gave  the  Assyrian  capital  a  brief 
lease  of  life.  The  new  invaders  had  no  enginery  for 
the  conquest  of  a  fortified  city  and  swept  on  through 
Syria  and  down  across  the  Philistine  plain  to  the 
borders  of  Egypt,  leaving  devastation  in  their  wake. 
After  the  Scythian  invasion  had  spent  itself.  Media  re- 
turned to  the  attack  upon  Nineveh,  with  the  Chaldean 
ruler  of  Babylon  in  alliance. 

It  was  when  the  Jews  were  looking  out  in  horror 
from  their  rocky  mountain  sides  upon  the  devastation 
being  wrought  by  the  wild  hordes  of  Scythians  on  the 
plains  below,  that  Zephaniah  began  to  preach  and  that 
Jeremiah  felt  the  prophetic  call.  The  time  was  favor- 
able for  outspoken  attack  upon  the  gods  of  the  As- 
syrians and  all  the  evils  that  Manasseh  had  imported 
along  with  foreign  worship. 

Repair  of  temple.  Five  years  later.  King  Josiah 
undertook  the  repair  of  Solomon's  temple,  now  three 
and  a  half  centuries  old.  This  is  the  first  great  event 
after   the   king's   accession   that   the   compiler  of   the 


14      GREAT  LEADERS  OF  HEBREW  HISTORY 

Biblical  history  records.  The  king  sent  Shaphan,  his 
secretary,  to  the  temple  to  give  directions  to  Hilkiah 
the  priest  for  using  the  people's  contributions  made  at 
the  temple  gate,  in  the  e-mployment  of  carpenters  and 
masons  and  In  the  purchase  of  timber  and  hewn  stone 
to  repair  the  house. 

The  ancient  historian  records  the  fact,  at  this  point 
in  his  story,  that  there  was  no  necessity  for  carefjl 
watch  and  reckoning  in  the  work  because  they  dealt 
faithfully.  He  may  have  had  in  mind  the  occasion, 
some  two  hundred  years  earlier,  when  Joash  had  under- 
taken the  repair  of  the  temple  and  the  priests  had 
failed  to  use  the  contributions  as  ordered.  At  thai, 
time  it  had  been  found  necessary  to  put  a  strong  chest 
at  the  temple  entrance,  in  which  the  people's  money 
could  be  deposited  and  which  was  opened  only  In  the 
presence  of  the  chief  priest  and  the  royal  secretary. 
Perhaps  the  priests  then  had  felt  that  they  were  by 
ancient  usage  entitled  to  the  temple  payments  and  that 
the  king  had  no  right  to  appropriate  them;  in  any  case, 
there  had  been  such  a  change  In  the  two  hundred  years 
intervening  between  the  repairs  of  Joash  and  those  of 
Joslah  that  no  question  of  misappropriation  of  the 
funds  arose  in  621  B.  c. 

Finding  the  law  book.  The  repair  of  the  temple 
might  not  be  a  matter  of  very  great  interest  at  this 
distant  day,  if  It  were  not  that  the  Book  of  the  Law  was 
brought  to  light  in  connection  with  the  under- 
taking. Hilkiah  the  priest  gave  the  book  to  the  king's 
secretary,  Shaphan,  telling  him  that  he  found  It  in  the 


JOSIAH  15 

temple.  The  brief  narrative  does  no.t  make  it  clear 
whether  tlie  book  had  actually  been  lost  and  forgotten, 
in  the  years  since  it  was  written,  or  whether  it  had  been 
recently  placed  in  the  temple,  against  the  time  when 
conditions  should  be  more  favorable  for  its  publication. 

That  this  Book  of  the  Law  was  the  original  edition 
of  our  Deuteronomy  and  that  it  had  been  written 
sometime  within  the  sixty-five  years  since  Manasseh 
ascended  the  throne  is  now  generally  agreed  among 
the  students  of  Hebrew  history.  Something  of  the 
story  of  its  writing  and  the  nature  of  its  contents  was 
given  in  the  previous  chapter. 

Law  read  before  the  king.  When  Shaphan  came 
into  the  king's  presence  to  report  upon  the  beginning 
of  the  work,  he  also  reported  that  Hilkiah  the  priest 
had  deliv^ered  him  a  book  and  he  read  it  before  the 
king.  This  new  law  book  contained  some  require- 
ments that  even  the  best  men  in  Israel  had  never  carried 
out.  The  principal  one  of  these  was  that  sacrifices  to 
Jehovah  should  be  offered  only  at  the  Jerusalem  temple. 
The  earlier  code  of  law,  of  which  Deuteronomy  was 
an  expansion  and  revision,  had  permitted  altars  to 
Jehovah  to  be  set  up  in  various  places.  In  fact  altars 
had  been  erected  and  sacrifices  offered,  without  any 
questioning  of  legitimacy,  in  different  parts  of  the  land. 
Many  of  the  locations  were  hill  tops  that  had  been  sa- 
cred to  the  baals  or  gods  of  Canaan  long  before  Israel 
came  thither.  At  such  places  it  was  natural  that  offer- 
ings should  be  made  to  the  deities  who  were  earlier 
worshipped  there,  as  well  as  to  Jehovah.     Thus  the 


i6      GREAT  LEADERS  OF  HEBREW  HISTORY 

debasing  practices  of  idolatrous  worship  had  become 
sadly  mixed  with  the  purer  worship  of  the  God  of 
Israel. 

Even  to-day  these  ancient  high  places  that  were 
sanctuaries  before  the  Hebrews  came  out  of  Egypt  are 
sacred  places  to  the  Mohammedans  who  dwell  near 
them.  These  simple  people  seem  to  have  a  good 
deal  more  faith  in  the  spirit  of  some  long  dead  saint 
whom  they  suppose  to  have  been  buried  near  the 
ancient  sacred  spot  than  in  the  one  great  god  whom 
Mohammed  preached.  Many  changes  have  come  to 
Canaan  since  Israel  settled  there,  more  than  three  thou- 
sand years  ago,  but  conquest  by  Hebrews,  Assyrians, 
Egyptians,  Babylonians,  Persians,  Greeks,  Romans, 
Saracens,  and  Turks,  with  all  their  religious  changes, 
have  not  sufficed  to  destroy  the  faith  of  the  people  of 
the  land  in  the  sacred  places  where  the  Canaanites  wor- 
shipped the  Baalim  and  the  Ashteroth. 

The  earlier  law  and  the  practice  of  the  best  men  of 
Israel  had  sanctioned  the  adoption  of  these  already 
ancient  places  of  worship  for  Jehovah  altars,  but  the 
law  written  in  the  seventh  century  b.  c.  by  the  followers 
of  Isaiah  and  Micah  undertook,  with  one  sweep,  to  do 
away  with  all  worship  at  these  places.  Its  code  begins 
with  the  demand  that  they  destroy  all  the  places  where 
other  gods  have  been  served  upon  the  high  mountains 
and  hills  and  under  the  green  trees  and  bring  their 
offerings  to  the  one  central  sanctuary.  This  require- 
ment, commonly  known  as  "  the  law  of  the  central  sanc- 
tuary," is  repeated  over  and  over  again  throughout  the 
entire  code  of  Deuteronomy.     The  book  goes  on  to 


JOSIAH  17 

warn  the  nation  that  it  shall  be  cast  out  of  the  land  if  it 
does  not  carry  out  this  law  strictly. 

It  is  evident  that  before  Josiah's  time  the  religious 
leaders  of  Israel  had  not  known  any  such  law  as  this. 
The  followers  of  the  prophets  who  in  Manasseh's  time 
revised  the  old  law  had  seen  how  easily  the  ancient, 
heathen  practices  had  become  mingled  with  those  of 
Jeho\ah  worship  at  the  local  altars  and  how  readily, 
too,  the  worship  of  foreign  gods  had  been  brought  in- 
to the  central  sanctuary  at  Jerusalem,  but  it  would  be 
much  easier  to  keep  the  worship  at  this  one  place  free 
from  heathen  admixture  than  to  purify  every  village 
altar,  so  they  made  the  one  central  sanctuary  and  the 
destruction  of  all  the  old  places  of  worship  the  founda- 
tion requirement  of  the  new  code. 

Huldah's  approval  of  the  law  book.  The  religious 
practices,  old  and  new,  that  are  especially  mentioned  in 
connection  with  Manasseh's  reign  are  specifically  for- 
bidden in  this  law  that  was  read  before  Josiah.  It 
is  not  strange  then  that  when  the  king  heard  the  book 
read,  he  rent  his  garments  in  anguish  and  sent  to  inquire 
the  will  of  God  concerning  the  words.  The  priest, 
secretary,  and  other  representatives  whom  he  sent  went 
to  Huldah  the  prophetess  to  get  a  Divine  oracle.  Why 
they  consulted  her  rather  than  Zephaniah  or  Jeremiah, 
who  had  begun  preaching  in  Jerusalem  five  years 
earlier,  we  cannot  tell.  Huldah  proved  a  true  phophet 
and  declared  that  the  threats  of  the  book  would  be 
executed  because  the  nation  had  forsaken  Jehovah 
and  followed  other  gods.  She  assured  Josiah  that 
the  blow  would  not  fall  during  his  lifetime  since  he 


1 8      GREAT  LEADERS  OF  HEBREW  HISTORY 

had  humbled  himself  before  God  when  he  heard  the 
words  of  the  law. 

The  Law  enforced.  The  king  now  gathered  the 
people  together  at  the  temple  and  read  the  newly- 
found  law  to  them.  Then  he  made  a  solemn  promise 
to  keep  the  law  and  immediately  went  to  work  to  see 
that  its  requirements  were  fully  carried  out.  He 
cleared  out  of  the  temple  and  destroyed  all  symbols  of 
other  deities;  he  suppressed  the  priests  who  had  con- 
ducted worship  at  the  high  places,  from  end  to  end  of 
Judah;  he  defiled  the  place  where  human  sacrifices  had 
been  offered  outside  of  Jerusalem  so  that  it  could  no 
longer  be  used  as  a  place  of  sacrifice.  Some  altars 
near  Jerusalem  were  supposed  to  have  been  set  up  by 
Solomon.  Josiah's  great-grandfather,  Hezekiah,  had 
not  ventured  to  destroy  these.  Despite  their  vener- 
able age  and  connection  with  the  name  of  the  great 
king,  Josiah  did  not  spare  them. 

In  his  work  of  destruction,  Josiah  ventured  beyond 
the  territory  of  little  Judah  to  Bethel,  which  had  been 
a  royal  sanctuary  of  northern  Israel.  Now  that 
Assyrian  rule  was  relaxed,  there  was  no  one  to  prevent 
Josiah  from  assuming  control  over  the  territories  of 
Israel  as  well  as  Judah.  With  all  its  sacred  associa- 
tions, much  older  than  Solomon,  the  natural  sanctuary 
at  Bethel  did  not  escape  the  reforming  zeal  of  the  king. 
He  defiled  the  altar  by  burning  upon  it  bones  that  he 
had  brought  out  of  neighboring  tombs.  According  to 
the  ideas  of  the  people,  this  would  make  it  a  place 
where  no  god  would  come  to  receive  offerings  from  his 
worshippers.     All    the   sorcerers   and   wizards   whom 


JOSIAH  19 

Manasseh  had  encouraged  were  put  away  and  every- 
thing that  a  king  could  do  to  make  the  people  live 
according  to  a  high  and  pure  law  of  religion  Josiah 
carried  out. 

Of  the  next  dozen  years,  we  have  no  account. 
Probably  they  were  years  of  peace  and  prosperity 
with  no  startling  events  to  record.  Assyria  was  no 
longer  able  to  enforce  taxes,  and  Josiah  must  have 
ruled  as  an  entirely  independent  monarch.  Then 
once  more  the  movements  of  the  nations  began  to  affect 
little  Judah  in  a  startling  way. 

Nahum  and  the  fall  of  Nineveh.  The  Scythian  inva- 
sion had  spent  itself  and  the  Medes  had  renewed  their 
attack  upon  Nineveh.  It  was  probably  at  this  time 
that  the  prophet  Nahum  gave  his  wonderful  word  pic- 
ture of  the  siege  and  coming  destruction  of  Assyria's 
capital.  He  described  the  city  as  a  lions'  den  where 
the  lion  had  brought  the  prey  for  his  lioness  and  whelps 
to  devour;  now  he  sees  the  place  in  all  the  hurried  and 
terrible  confusion  of  siege. 

Egyptian  conquest.  The  king  of  Egypt,  now  free 
from  Assyrian  rule,  saw  the  coming  downfall  and  de- 
termined to  seize  the  portions  of  the  Assyrian  empire 
that  lay  west  of  the  Euphrates.  For  this  purpose 
he  marched  through  Palestine.  Josiah  did  not  intend 
to  exchange  his  recently  gained  freedom  for  Egyptian 
vassalage.  With  heroic  courage  he  marched  the 
forces  of  his  little  kingdom  to  the  pass  through  Mt. 
Carmel,  by  which  the  Eg>'ptian  forces  would  go  from 
the  Philistine  plain  to  that  of  Esdraelon  and  so  on 
across  northern  Palestine.      It  was  the  one  place  on  the 


20      GREAT  LEADERS  OF  HEBREW  HISTORY 

line  of  march  where  he  might  hope  to  resist  the  great 
army  of  the  Egyptians.  Taanach  and  Megiddo, 
natural  strongholds  about  three  miles  apart,  flank  the 
northern  end  of  the  pass.  Near  here,  in  the  early 
days  of  Israel's  struggle  for  the  land,  their  light  armed 
soldiers  had  cut  to  pieces  the  army  of  Sisera  the 
Canaanite,  with  his  chariots  of  iron. 

Josiah's  position  was  as  well  chosen  as  possible 
both  to  arouse  patriotic  hope  and  courage  among  his 
followers  and  to  neutralize  the  advantage  of  the 
Egyptian  numbers  by  reason  of  the  narrowness  of  the 
battlefield.  The  endeavor  was  heroic,  but  the  odds 
were  overwhelming.  Josiah  was  carried  slain  from 
the  field  to  Jerusalem  while  the  victorious  forces  of 
Pharaoh  Necoh  marched  on  through  northern  Palestine 
and  Syria  and  seized  all  the  land  at  the  eastern  end  of 
the  Mediterranean,  as  far  as  the  Euphrates  River. 

Important  Biblical  references:  II  Kings  22:1-23:30; 
Deuteronomy  12:  1-14;  Nahum  2:  1-3:  7. 


CHAPTER  III 

RE-AWAKENING    OF    PROPHECY    IN    JOSIAIi's    REIGN 
ZEPHANIAH    AND    JEREMIAH 

The  thirteenth  year  of  King  Josiah  was  a  fateful 
one  in  Jewish  history. —  The  last  great  ruler  of 
Assyria  died,  the  Scythians  swept  down  the  Palestinian 
coast  plain  to  the  borders  of  Egypt,  and  prophets  began 
once  more  publicly  to  warn  and  direct  the  nation. 

Zephaniah  like  Amos.  Though  the  hordes  of 
Scyths  do  not  seem  to  have  climbed  the  rocky  passes 
up  into  the  Judean  hills,  their  awe-inspiring  presence, 
within  view  from  the  western  spurs  of  the  mountains, 
brought  a  sense  of  doom  very  near.  The  prince-proph- 
et Zephaniah  seized  the  opportunity  to  speak  words 
of  stern  warning  after  the  manner  of  Amos.  The 
earlier  prophet  had  taught  that  the  day  of  the  Lord 
could  not  be  a  favorable  day  for  his  people,  unless  all 
their  conduct  was  in  accord  with  his  great  demand  of 
fair  dealing.  The  people  had  thought  that,  since  Je- 
hovah was  their  God,  his  coming  must  be  for  their 
defence.  Amos  taught  that  God  was  not  with  them 
unless  they  were  with  him  In  purpose  and  conduct. 
For  the  nation  to  be  with  him  meant  that  the  rich  and 
powerful  should  deal  justly  with  the  poor  and  weak, 
the  judge  should  take  no  bribe,  and  the  merchant  should 
sell  good  grain  by  honest  measure.     The  message  that 

21 


22      GREAT  LEADERS  OF  HEBREW  HISTORY 

Amos  had  announced  to  the  people  of  northern  Israel 
a  generation  before  their  nation  fell  is  now  taken  up 
by  Zephaniah  for  the  need  of  Judah. 

The  day  of  the  Lord.  The  advance  of  the  bar- 
barian horde  affords  the  new  prophet  new  imagery  in 
which  to  express  the  older  prophet's  conception  of 
"the  day" — The  great  day  of  Jehovah  is  near,  it  is 
near  and  hasteth  greatly,  even  the  voice  of  the  day  of 
Jehovah;  the  mighty  man  cricth  there  bitterly.  That 
day  is  a  day  of  wrath,  a  day  of  trouble  and  distress,  a 
day  of  waste  and  desolation,  a  day  of  darkness  and 
gloom,  a  day  of  clouds  and  thick  darkness,  a  day  of  the 
trumpet  and  alarm,  against  the  fortified  cities,  and 
against  the  high  battlements. 

Corruption  of  Jerusalem.  The  evils  that  were 
brought  in  by  Manasseh  still  exist  although  Josiah 
has  now  reached  the  age  of  manhood.  The  people 
worship  the  heavenly  bodies  upon  the  housetops;  the 
nobles  and  judges  devour  like  roaring  lions  and  even- 
ing wolves  that  leave  nothing  till  the  morning.  The 
prophets  are  treacherous  and  the  priests  violate  the 
laws  of  the  sacrifice,  profaning  the  sanctuary.  Such 
is  the  picture  that  Zephaniah  gives  of  life  in  Jerusalem 
In  the  thirteenth  year  of  King  Josiah.  We  can  well 
imagine  that  the  nobles  and  judges  and  the  professional 
prophets  and  priests  thought  it  high  time  for  Prince 
Zephaniah  to  be  put  to  death.  The  foreign  religions 
which  had  become  popular  under  Manasseh  did  not 
interfere  with  their  plundering  practices.  We  have 
no  record  that  any  one  ventured  to  lay  hands  on  the 
troublesome  prince.      Probably  the   king  was   sympa- 


RE-AWAKENING  OF  PROPHECY  23 

thetic  with  his  kinsman's  message,  although  his  great 
effort  to  reform  religion  and  society  was  not  made 
till  five  years  later. 

The  little  book  of  Zephaniah  with  its  bold  attacks 
upon  the  rich  and  powerful  who  were  taking  advantage 
of  their  opportunities  for  wrong  doing,  rouses  our 
curiosity.  We  would  like  to  know  more  of  the  man 
who  dared  to  speak  out  in  this  way  when  all  true 
prophets  had  so  long  been  silent;  but  we  know  no  more 
of  him.  Whether  he  preached  again  in  later  years, 
we  cannot  tell.  If  it  was,  as  we  suppose,  King  Heze- 
kiah  who  was  his  great-grandfather,  he  could  hardly 
have  been  an  old  man  in  the  thirteenth  year  of  Josiah's 
reign.  It  seems  probable  that  he  lived  on  through 
the  time  of  the  great  reformation  and  perhaps  through 
the  entire  reign  of  Josiah. 

Jeremiah's  home.  About  the  time  when  Zephaniah 
spoke  his  sharp  warning  to  the  rulers  in  Jerusalem, 
Jeremiah  began  his  long  prophetic  career.  Anathoth, 
his  family  home,  lay  three  miles  northward  from  the 
capital  on  the  summit  of  one  of  the  rounded  hills  that 
form  the  guarding  wall  of  mountains  round  about 
Jerusalem.  The  modern  village  of  Anata  lies  to  the 
eastward  of  the  highway  that  runs  north  from  Jeru- 
salem, aside  from  the  regular  lines  of  travel.  The 
ancient  road  may  have  passed  nearer  to  the  village. — 
Isaiah  pictures  it  as  in  the  path  of  the  Assyrian  army 
coming  from  the  north  against  Jerusalem.  It  was  a 
town  well  known  in  Old  Testament  times.  Late 
writers  named  it  among  the  cities  of  the  priests,  and  in 
the  early  days  of  the  kingdom,  Solomon  had  said  to 


24      GREAT  LEADERS  OF  HEBREW  HISTORY 

the  priest  Abiathar:  "  Get  thee  to  Anathoth  and  thine 
own  fields;  for  thou  art  worthy  of  death, but  I  will  not 
at  this  time  put  thee  to  death,  because  thou  barest  the 
ark  of  the  Lord  Jehovah  before  David  my  father." 
For  many  centuries  Anathoth  was  evidently  the  home 
of  men  of  priestly  family. 

The  boy  Jeremiah.  While  Josiah  the  king  was 
still  a  boy  and  youth,  there  was  growing  up  in  this 
priestly  city  hard  by  the  capital,  a  lad  of  sensitive, 
timid  nature,  who  longed  for  companionship  but  could 
not  easily  make  friends.  He  was  neither  a  leader  of 
other  boys,  nor  could  he  readily  join  in  the  crowd  that 
followed.  Sometimes,  not  always,  these  youths  who 
are  kept  apart  and  lonely  because  they  cannot  mingle 
freely  with  their  fellows  are  the  ones  that  later  move 
the  world.  Although  Anathoth  was  distant  only  an 
hour's  walk  from  Jerusalem,  the  view  toward  the  city 
was  shut  off  and  was  open  instead  toward  the  valley 
of  the  Jordan  and  the  Dead  Sea,  down  across  the 
desert  wilderness.  This  gives  an  extensive,  but  solemn, 
outlook  which  might  easily  have  a  strong  influence  upon 
a  sensitively  organized  youth. 

Hosea's  influence.  The  boy  Jeremiah  of  Anathoth, 
in  his  lonely  separation,  was  thinking  great  thoughts 
within  himself.  They  were  not  thoughts  of  how 
great  he  would  be  some  day  and  how  he  would  show 
other  boys  what  he  could  do.  He  was  thinking,  rather, 
how  much  his  country  needed  knowledge  of  the  Lord 
such  as  Hosea  had  talked  about  a  hundred  years  before. 
He  must  have  had  a  copy  of  the  little  book  of  the  ad- 
dresses and  songs  of  that  great,  suffering  prophet,  and 


RE-AWAKENING  OF  PROPHECY  25 

he  must  have  read  it  over  and  over  again  as  he  sat 
looking  out  over  the  barren  hilltops  that  broke  away 
below  him  down  to  the  Jordan.  The  thought  and  the 
language  of  Hosea  were  so  absorbed  by  the  youth 
that  when  he  began  to  preach  it  sounded  as  though  the 
earlier  prophet  had  come  to  life.  While  he  loved 
Hosea  best,  this  youth  of  priestly  family  was 
thoroughly  trained  in  all  the  history  and  Hterature 
of  his  nation.  It  has  been  well  said  that  "  everything 
that  was  noble  and  worthy  in  Israel  was  known  and 
familiar  to  him."  In  later  years  of  his  ministry  he 
had  his  own  distinctive  message,  but  it  grew  up  m  a 
mind  and  soul  that  had  been  well  prepared  by  study 
and  knew  how  to  apply  old  truths  to  new  occasions. 

Inaugural  vision.  While  he  was  still  quite  young, 
before  he  felt  at  all  able  to  undertake  a  man's  work, 
there  came  to  Jeremiah  the  sure  conviction  that  Jehovah 
had  set  him  apart,  even  before  he  was  born,  to  do  a 
great  and  difficult  work.  He  felt  that  he  did  not 
know  how  to  speak  and  yet  that  the  Lord  called  him 
to  stand  up  and  give  a  message  of  destruction  and 
doom.  He  must  tell  his  own  nation  that  God  was 
about  to  send  upon  them  a  horde  of  enemies,  because 
they  had  forsaken  him  and  worshipped  other  gods. 
Kings,  princes,  priests,  and  people,  he  saw,  would  hght 
against  him;  but  there  came  with  this  knowledge  the 
assurance  that  the  Lord  would  be  with  him  to  deliver 
him.  Such  convictions  formed  the  substance  of  his 
inaugural  vision  and  then  the  timid  youth  was  ready 
to  undertake  his  hard  and  lonely  life  work,  set  over 
the  nations  and  over  the  kingdoms  to  pluck  up  and  to 


26      GREAT  LEADERS  OF  HEBREW  HISTORY 

break  down  and  to  destroy  and  to  overthrow,  to  build 
and  to  plant.  We  may  read  Jeremiah's  own  account 
of  this  great  experience  in  the  first  chapter  of  his  book 
of  prophecies. 

We  should  remember  that  for  some  sixty  years  be- 
fore this  vision  came  to  Jeremiah,  the  forces  opposed 
to  Jehovah's  will,  as  interpreted  by  earlier  prophets, 
had  been  triumphant  in  the  land.  If  Zephaniah  had 
already  spoken  in  Jerusalem,  it  seems  doubtful  whether 
the  youth  in  the  little  town  outside  knew  of  it;  yet 
he  was  sure  that  Jehovah  was  not  sleeping.  He  saw 
in  vision  a  rod  of  an  almond  tree,  as  we  translate  the 
name.  The  Hebrew  name  means  "  wakeful  "  tree. 
With  the  simple  poetry  of  people  who  live  close  to 
nature,  they  thus  style  the  tree  which  blooms  in  the 
cold,  rainy  season  of  Palestine  before  any  of  the  other 
plants  think  of  awakening.  To  the  youth  of  quick  in- 
sight the  winter  blooming  of  this  beautiful  and  useful 
tree  spoke  of  the  God  who  was  wakeful  over  his  word 
to  perform  it. 

Traveling  a  few  miles  to  the  west  and  looking  out 
over  the  Philistine  plain,  Jeremiah  saw  the  barbarian 
hordes  of  the  Scyths  from  the  north  sweeping  down 
past  the  foothills  of  his  mountain  top  home  and  felt, 
as  Isaiah  had  taught  in  his  day,  that  the  neglected 
God  of  Israel  was  the  God  of  nations  who  used  their 
battle  lust  to  bring  his  righteous  judgment  upon  his 
faithless  people.  At  the  time  of  Jeremiah's  call  the 
Scythian  hordes  might  well  suggest  a  boiling  caldron, 
the  face  thereof  from  tbe  north.  Before  his  life  work 
should  be  done,  the  Babylonian  hosts  would  also  sweep 


RE-AWAKP:i\ING  OF  PROPHECY  27 

down  from  the  north  and  they  would  overwhelm  Jeru- 
salem and  all  the  cities  of  Judah. 

Like  his  great  master,  Hosea,  Jeremiah  knew  that 
Jehovah  must  tear  up  and  break  down  the  deep  rooted 
evils  and  high  piled  wrongs  of  his  people  before  he 
could  build  and  plant  in  a  land  that  was  so  choked 
with  all  the  wicked  heritage  of  Manasseh's  reign. 
Self-centered  dreams  such  as  those  of  Joseph  were  not 
troubling  Jeremiah.  He  was  thinking  of  the  sad 
prospects  of  his  country  and  of  the  hard  but  necessary 
work  he  must  do  alone,  trusting  only  in  the  unseen  God 
whose  voice  he  heard  in  the  silence  of  his  own  soul. 

First  preaching.  When  the  young  prophet  began 
to  preach  to  his  countrymen,  he  painted  for  them 
again  in  vivid  words  Hosea's  pictures  of  God  as  the 
faithful  husband  and  the  father  of  Israel,  while  the 
nation  was  faithless  and  indifferent  to  him.  His  ap- 
peal to  the  unfaithful  people  is  to  return  unto  the  Lord 
and  then  they  will  not  be  driven  from  the  land.  With 
these  ideas  he  unites  the  policy  that  Isaiah  and  Hosea 
had  urged  in  their  time  —  keeping  free  from  alliance 
with  either  Egypt  or  Assyria.  He  asks  wherefore  they 
go  to  Egypt  to  drink  the  waters  of  the  Nile  or  to 
Assyria  for  those  of  the  Euphrates.  Such  depending 
on  their  powerful  neighbors  shows  that  they  have  for- 
gotten their  God  and  do  not  fear  him.  The  young 
preacher  had  read  his  Hosea  and  Isaiah  to  good  pur- 
pose and  knew  how  they  had  condemned  little  Israel's 
mixing  in  the  ambitions  of  her  great  neighbors,  making 
alliance  now  with  one  and  now  with  the  other,  and 
never  having  a  consistent  policy  for  long. 


28      GREAT  LEADERS  OF  HEBREW  HISTORY 

National  policy.  Situated  as  his  nation  was  be- 
tween the  two  great  rival  powers  of  that  age,  her  only 
hope  lay  in  allying  herself  with  neither,  but  always 
being  true  to  each.  Unless  the  people  trusted  in  their 
God,  they  could  not  have  the  strength  to  follow  this 
wise,  consistent  policy.  Jeremiah,  Isaiah,  and  Hosea 
saw  this  and  labored  against  great  odds  to  make  the 
people  true  to  Jehovah  and  true  to  each  great  neighbor. 

The  foe  from  the  north.  In  his  second  recorded 
sermon  our  prophet  deals  with  the  approach  of  foes 
from  the  north  which  was  so  prominent  a  thought  in 
his  inaugural  vision.  He  pictures  them  as  coming 
from  the  uttermost  parts  of  the  earth  with  bows  and 
spears,  all  riding  on  horses,  set  in  array  against  Jeru- 
salem. The  description  reminds  one  strongly  of 
Herodotus's  account  of  the  Scythian  hordes. 

Jeremiah  is  very  clear  that  his  people  deserve  judg- 
ment. Even  the  religious  teachers  and  guides  are  all 
corrupt.  From  the  prophet  even  unto  the  priest  every 
one  dealeth  falsely.  The  prophets  prophesy  falsely 
and  the  priests  bear  rule  by  their  means.  The  prophets 
and  priests  are  only  trying  to  furnish  "  what  the  public 
wants."  They  are  keeping  the  fear  of  trouble  and 
war  away  from  the  people,  crying  "  Peace,  peace  " 
when  there  is  no  peace. 

Jeremiah  and  the  great  reform.  We  cannot  say 
whether  Jeremiah  went  to  Jerusalem  to  deliver  his 
early  addresses  or  confined  his  teaching  in  this  period 
to  his  native  town.  Although  Zephaniah  and  Jeremiah 
had  begun  their  prophetic  work  fully  five  years  before 
the  Book  of  the  Law  was  discovered  in  the  temple  it 


RE-AWAKENING  OF  PROPHECY  29 

was  not  either  of  them,  we  saw,  but  the  prophetess 
Huldah  who  was  consulted  in  regard  to  its  trustworthi- 
ness. The  preaching  of  the  two  great  prophets,  how- 
ever, must  have  had  something  to  do  with  preparing 
the  way  for  the  reform  by  arousing  among  their  hear- 
ers some  fear  that  Jehovah  might  execute  judgment  on 
the  people  who  had  been  so  unfaithful  to  him. 

A  narrative  preserved  in  the  book  of  Jeremiah  seems 
to  indicate  that  the  prophet  went  about  the  streets  of 
Jerusalem  and  the  other  cities  of  Judea  preaching  the 
message  of  Deuteronomy,  but  we  cannot  be  sure  how 
far  he  participated  in  the  reform  led  by  King  Josiah. 

Period  of  silence.  The  book  of  Kings  is  silent  as 
to  the  years  of  Josiah's  reign  between  the  great  re- 
form of  621  and  his  death  about  608.  The  book 
of  Jeremiah  contains  no  sermons  or  addresses  that 
seem  to  fit  into  this  Indian  summer  period.  We  can 
hardly  imagine  him  idle  during  all  this  time.  Perhaps 
when  he  composed  his  book  of  sermons  in  the  changed 
times  a  few  years  after  Josiah's  death,  he  did  not  care 
to  preserve  his  words  of  this  period. 

Important  Biblical  references:  Zephaniah  1:1-2:6;  Jere- 
miah 1 ;  2: 1-4:  4;  4:  5-6: 30;  II : 1-8. 


CHAPTER  IV 

STRUGGLE   OF   JEREMIAH    IN   THE   TIME 
OF   REACTION 

Pharaoh  annexes  Syria.  Events  were  moving  fast 
in  the  history  of  the  nations  of  southwestern  Asia  when 
Josiah  met  his  death  at  Megiddo.  Pharaoh  Necoh 
marched  on  through  northern  Palestine  and  Syria,  an- 
nexing all  the  land  as  far  as  the  borders  of  Asia  Minor 
and  the  Euphrates  River.  The  next  year  Nineveh  fell 
and  the  kingdom  of  Assyria  was  divided  between 
Media  and  Babylonia.  Nabopolasser,  the  Babylonian 
king,  received  for  his  portion  the  western  parts  as  far 
as  he  could  make  good  his  claim  against  Necoh. 

Nebuchadrezzar  defeats  Pharaoh.  In  604  b.  c, 
the  decisive  battle  occurred  at  Carchemish  on  the 
Euphrates.  The  Babylonian  army  under  the  crown 
prince,  Nebuchadrezzar,  routed  the  forces  of  the 
Pharaoh.  Jeremiah  with  keen  sarcasm  described  tnb 
headlong  flight  of  the  Egyptian  forces :  Egypt  riseth  up 
like  the  Nile,  and  his  waters  toss  themselves  like  the 
rivers;  and  he  saith,  I  will  rise  up,  I  will  cover  the 
earth;  I  will  destroy  cities  and  the  inhabitants  thereof. 
Go  up,  ye  horses;  a-nd  rage  ye  chariots;  and  let  the 
mighty  men  go  forth.  .  .  .  Go  up  into  Gilead  and 
take  balm,  O  virgin  daughter  of  Egypt:  in  vain  dost 
thou  use  many  medicines;  there  is  no  healing  for  thee. 

30 


STRUGGLE  OF  JEREMIAH  31 

The  nations  have  heard  of  thy  shame,  and  the  earth 
is  full  of  thy  cry;  for  the  mighty  man  hath  stumbled 
against  the  mighty,  they  are  fallen  both  of  them  to- 
gether. All  Syria  and  Palestine  now  lay.  open  before 
Nebuchadrezzar,  but  just  then  his  father's  death  called 
him  back  to  Babylon.  Necoh  was,  however,  forced  to 
make  a  compact  by  which  he  relinquished  his  ambitious 
claims  in  Asia. 

Jeremiah's  activity  in  Egyptian  Period.  These 
four  years,  from  Josiah's  death  to  the  decisive  battle  of 
Carchemish,  made  a  period  of  great  activity  for  the 
prophet  Jeremiah,  now  a  man  of  mature  years.  Upon 
Josiah's  death  the  people  put  his  second  son  Jehoahaz 
upon  the  throne.  As  soon  as  the  Pharaoh  had  time  to 
organize  the  land  which  he  had  conquered,  he  deposed 
this  prince,  carrying  him  in  bonds  to  Egypt,  and  put 
his  older  brother,  now  called  Jehoiakim,  upon  the 
throne  as  a  subject  king  whose  duty  was  to  rule  the 
land  and  raise  tribute  for  the  Pharaoh. 

Dirge  for  Jehoahaz.  With  the  removal  of 
Jehoahaz,  the  long  silence  of  Jeremiah  was  broken,  and 
his  great  life  work  really  began.  Apparently  Jehoahaz 
was  the  choice  of  the  reform  party  while  Jehoiakim 
quickly  proved  himself  hostile  to  all  his  father's  poli- 
cies. Chanting  a  dirge  such  as  those  composed  for 
the  dead,  Jeremiah  sang: 

Weep  not  for  the  dead,  and  mourn  not  for  him: 

Lament  for  him  that  goeth  away;  for  ne'er  shall  he  return, 

And  never  shall  he  see  the  land  of  his  birth. 

He  then  explained  that  the  young  king  who  had  been 


32      GREAT  LEADERS  OF  HEBREW  HISTORY 

carried  to  Egypt  would  never  be  allowed  to  return. 
Mourning  for  Josiah  should  give  place  to  lament  for 
his  son,  already  as  good  as  dead. 

Superstitious  faith.  The  prophet  soon  felt  called 
to  teach  the  people  assembled  in  the  temple  court.  He 
found  that  they  had  a  superstitious  trust  in  the  sanctu- 
ary, regarding  it  as  Jehovah's  castle  which  he,  like 
any  great  king,  could  not  permit  to  be  captured.  The 
behef  had  probably  grown  up  out  of  the  great  deliv- 
erance in  Isaiah's  time,  almost  a  century  before.  At 
that  time,  the  people  in  panic  fear  were  about  to  make 
an  unnecessary  surrender  of  Jerusalem  to  the  Assyrian 
army;  but  Isaiah  assured  them  that  the  temple  and  city 
could  not  be  captured.  The  promise  was  fulfilled;  a 
pestilence  broke  out  in  the  Assyrian  army,  and  the 
remnants  of  the  great  host  withdrew  from  the  land. 
It  was  not  strange  that  the  people  had  come  to  think 
of  the  temple  as  the  palladium  of  their  city,  which  no 
Ulysses  and  Diomedes  could  carry  off  as  they  did  the 
statue  of  Pallas  on  which  the  safety  of  Troy  depended. 

They  liked  the  belief  because  it  left  them  free,  as 
Jeremiah  boldly  told  them,  to  steal,  murder,  and  lie, 
and  yet  feel  perfectly  safe  from  punishment,  because 
there  stood  the  temple  of  Jehovah.  They  could  go 
into  its  courts  and  call  upon  him,  feeling  sure  that  he 
could  not  permit  any  enemies  to  break  into  his  castle 
enclosure. 

They  liked  to  forget  the  great  teaching  of  Deuter- 
onomy which  had  been  adopted  as  the  supreme  law 
of  the  land  only  about  fifteen  years  before.  The 
great  law  book  reiterated  over  and  over  again  that 


STRUGGLE  OF  JEREMIAH  33 

God  would  permit  them  to  live  securely  in  the  land 
only  on  condition  that  they  were  true  to  him.  Jere- 
miah advised  them  to  visit  Shiloh  and  see  how  the  first 
sanctuary  set  up  for  Jehovah,  when  Israel  entered  the 
land,  had  heen  laid  waste.  He  warned  them  that  the 
fate  of  Jerusalem  and  its  temple  would  be  no  whit 
different.  Assuring  them  that  they  would  fare  just 
as  northern  Israel  had  done,  he  burst  forth  in  a  song 
of  doom  beginning: 

This  is  the  nation  that  hath  not  hearkened  to  the  Lord's  voice, 
And  hath  not  received  instruction;  truth  hath  perished; 

and  ending: 

Then  will  I  banish  from  the  cities  of  Judah,  and  from  the  streets 

of  Jerusalem, 
Voice  of  mirth  and  voice  of  joy, 
Voice  of  bridegroom  and  voice  of  bride; 
For  waste  shall  be  the  land. 

Jeremiah's  trial  for  treason.  The  priests,  prophets, 
and  all  the  people  could  not  permit  such  words  of 
threat  to  pass.  They  seized  Jeremiah,  crying  out: 
"  You  must  die."  As  the  angry  crowd  threatened,  the 
princes  came  up  from  the  king's  palace,  a  few  steps 
below  the  temple  court,  and  sat  to  hear  the  case.  The 
priests  and  prophets  accused  Jeremiah  of*  speaking 
treason  worthy  of  death.  He  replied,  not  denying  a 
word  that  he  had  uttered,  but  declaring  that  he  had 
spoken  at  the  command  of  God.  He  followed  with 
an  appeal  to  all  to  change  their  course  of  life  and 
avert  the  coming  doom.     He  told  them  that  he  was  in 


34      GREAT  LEADERS  OF  HEBREW  HISTORY 

their  hands:  they  could  do  with  him  whatever  they 
saw  fit,  but  if  they  killed  him  they  would  bring  inno- 
cent blood  upon  themselves  and  the  city.  He  was  not 
speaking  human  treason,  but  giving  the  warning  of 
God. 

In  the  Orient,  to  be  guilty  of  innocent  blood  means 
sure  vengeance  and  to  interfere  with  one  who  speaks 
under  the  inspiration  of  God  is  no  less  dangerous.  So 
the  fickle  people  turn  against  the  accusing  priests  and 
prophets  and  support  the  princes,  who  decide  that  in 
giving  God's  warning,  Jeremiah  had  not  been  guilty 
of  treason.  Now  some  of  the  old  men  remember  how 
the  prophet  Micah  had  predicted  Jerusalem's  ruin  when 
Hezekiah  was  king,  and  how  instead  of  putting  him 
to  death,  the  king  repented  and  the  city  was  saved. 

The  story  gives  a  good  idea  of  how  largely  Judea 
was  In  spirit  and  practice  democratic,  even  though  there 
was  a  king.  The  princes  of  the  palace  held  a  sort  of 
judicial  trial,  but  the  elders  and  people  took  part  in 
the  proceedings  as  they  saw  fit.  The  scene  introduces 
us  also  to  the  great  tragedy  of  all  the  later  years  bf 
Jeremiah's  life.  He  is  acquitted  of  treason  this  time, 
but  the  divinely  enlightened  prophet  is  doomed  to  see 
his  country  go  on  step  by  step  to  ruin,  while  rulers  and 
people  count  him  their  enemy  and  consider  him  a 
traitor. 

Lesson  from  the  potter.  As  yet  the  nation  is  not 
at  war;  it  is  living  peacefully  in  vassalage  to  Egypt, 
but  Jeremiah  sees  that  his  people's  blind  trust  in  the 
temple  to  protect  them  whatever  they  do,  is  sure  to 
lead  on  to  destruction.     At  this  time,  he  feels  that  it  is 


STRUGGLE  OF  JEREMIAH  35 

not  too  late  for  the  little  nation  to  change  its  course 
and  be  saved.  He  uses  every  means  to  get  his  message 
into  the  heads  and  hearts  of  the  people.  At  the 
potter's  house  he  watches  the  making  of  earthen  ves- 
sels. On  a  little  round  table  that  turns  about,  the 
workman  places  a  lump  of  clay  and  then  by  foot-power 
sets  it  whirling  and  with  a  tool  shapes  the  vessel  as 
he  will.  In  much  the  same  way,  the  mechanic  of  to- 
day shapes  wood  or  metal  on  a  lathe,  only  the  soft  clay 
had  to  rest  upright  instead  of  horizontally.  As  Jere- 
miah watched  the  work  go  on,  he  saw  that  sometimes 
the  vessel  was  spoiled  in  the  making,  and  that  the  work- 
man used  the  clay  to  make  a  different  article. 

The  potter  was  one  of  the  most  familiar  figures  in 
Jerusalem  and  other  ancient  towns  from  the  earliest 
times  when  cities  were  built.  The  people  must  often 
have  seen  just  such  a  change  of  plan  as  Jeremiah 
watched,  when  something  went  wrong  with  the  clay. 
The  people  who  thought  that  God  was  bound  to  bless 
them  just  because  they  were  his  nation  were  now  taught 
that  what  God  might  make  out  of  the  clay  in  his  hands 
must  depend  on  the  quality  of  the  clay.  If  he  had  pro- 
nounced judgment  on  a  nation  for  its  sin  and  the  people 
turned  from  their  sin,  the  judgment  would  be  averted. 
So  too  when  he  had  promised  blessing,  if  the  people 
proved  evil  their  fate  must  be  changed. —  Judah  has 
forgotten  God,  she  shall  be  scattered  before  her  ene- 
mies. 

Plots  against  Jeremiah.  With  such  Ideas,  Jeremiah 
is  setting  himself  up  against  the  popular  teachers,  the 
priests,  prophets,  and  philosophers,  who  teach  that  the 


36      GREAT  LEADERS  OF  HEBREW  HISTORY 

nation  shall  prosper.  Plots  are  formed  against  his 
life.  A  certain  man  named  Uriah,  who  prophesied 
similar  judgments  in  the  name  of  Jehovah,  fled  to 
Egypt  from  the  wrath  of  King  Jehoiakim;  he  was 
brought  back  and  put  to  death,  but  Jeremiah  for  the 
time  escapes  the  threatened  danger. 

Certainty  of  coming  doom.  Undeterred  by  plots 
against  his  life,  he  preaches  again  and  again  his  mes- 
sage of  doom.  He  feels  that  the  people's  guilt  is  too 
great  to  be  forgiven.  They  have  as  many  gods  as 
cities,  as  many  altars  as  there  are  streets  in  Jerusalem. 
They  are  past  praying  for.  Jehovah  cannot  hear  their 
cry,  even  if  they  fast  before  him,  nor  accept  their  offer- 
ings. When  he  pleads  with  God  for  the  people,  he  is 
assured  that  if  even  Moses  and  Samuel  were  the  ad- 
vocates, they  could  not  secure  the  people's  release.  So 
sure  is  Jeremiah  of  the  approaching  downfall  of  the 
nation  that  he  will  not  marry  and  have  wife  and  chil- 
dren to  die  by  the  pestilence  and  sword  and  famine 
that  are  certain.  He  even  feels  that  he  must  not 
share  the  ordinary  joys  and  sorrows  of  his  friends; 
he  must  neither  go  Into  the  house  of  mourning  to  mourn 
with  them  nor  into  the  house  of  feasting  to  eat  and 
drink  with  them.  He  must  stand  apart  as  a  symbol 
of  the  stunning  grief  that  will  fall  upon  the  people 
so  that  there  will  not  be  ordinary  mourning  nor  re- 
joicing. 

In  the  stocks.  Perhaps  it  is  not  to  be  wondered  at 
that  plots  were  made  against  Jeremiah.  The  men  of 
his  own  town,  Anathoth,  sought  his  life,  forbidding  him 


STRUGGLE  OF  JEREMIAH  37 

to  prophesy  in  Jehovah's  name  on  pain  of  death  at  their 
hands.  Pashhur  the  priest  and  chief  officer  of  the 
temple  submitted  him  to  public  disgrace  as  a  common 
disturber  of  the  peace,  putting  him  into  the  stocks 
where  all  who  came  to  the  temple  might  see  and  revile 

him. 

Fellowship  with  God.  Loneliness  and  hostility 
wore  heavily  upon  Jeremiah,  w^ho  was  trying  to  turn 
his  people  from  sin  to  righteousness  and  to  deliver  them 
from  the  sorrows  which  he  foresaw  they  would  bring 
upon  themselves.  In  his  sorrow,  he  was  driven  to  talk 
out  his  complaint  with  God.  He  argued  with  the 
Supreme  Ruler  about  the  wicked  being  permitted  to  en- 
joy good  fortune  and  those  who  dealt  treacherously 
being  left  at  ease.  And  then  he  received  a  curious 
answer  within  his  soul  —  He  has  been  running  with 
the  footmen  and  is  tired,  yet  he  has  got  to  race  against 
horses.  He. is  troubled  because  his  neighbors  are  plot- 
ting against  his  life  and  are  not  punished.  How  will 
it  be  when  he  knows  that  his  own  brothers  of  his 
father's  house  are  likewise  among  the  plotters?  ^ 

When  he  has  been  made  an  object  of  public  con- 
tempt in  the  temple  stocks,  he  cries  out  against  God 
who  has  led  him  on  till  he  is  an  object  of  public  ridi- 
cule. Whenever  he  speaks,  he  warns  of  violence  and 
spoil,  and  the  people  just  laugh  at  him.  Yet  he  can- 
not help  speaking;  if  he  tries  to  keep  still  then  is  a 
burning  fire  in  his  bones.  In  his  anguish,  he  bursts 
forth  with  cursing  upon  the  day  of  his  birth.  Jere- 
miah is  no  calm,  marble  saint.     He  is  a  very  human 


38      GREAT  LEADERS  OF  HEBREW  HISTORY 

man,  with  a  very  human  longing  for  friends  and  rel- 
atives to  honor  and  trust  him,  instead  of  ridiculing 
and  plotting.  Perhaps  the  ridicule  was  harder  to  en- 
dure than  the  plots. 

Jeremiah's  very  loneliness  forced  him  to  find  fellow- 
ship with  the  God  he  sought  to  serve.  Never  before 
In  the  Bible's  history  do  we  find  any  man  going  to  his 
God  with  such  constancy  and  freedom,  to  talk  out 
the  things  that  were  in  his  heart.  There  is  nothing 
formal  about  his  prayers.  He  comes  to  know  his  God 
as  one  more  ready  to  listen  to  the  trouble  in  the  heart 
than  one's  best  friend  or  nearest  relative.  At  times 
the  prophet  may  seem  almost  irreverent  to  those  who 
are  accustomed  to  make  formal  prayers  to  a  distant 
Deity.  Jeremiah  does  not  pray  that  way.  To  him, 
God  is  "  nearer  than  breathing,  closer  than  hands  or 
feet."  When  he  has  spoken  with  utmost  frankness,  he 
finds  strength  and  confidence  to  go  on  his  hard  and 
lonely  path  even  though  he  is  made  a  public  laughing 
stock. 

Prophecies  written.  After  a  time  he  is  absolutely 
restrained  from  preaching  to  the  crowds  in  the  city 
streets  as  he  has  been  doing  so  constantly  since 
Jehoiakim  came  to  the  throne.  So  he  takes  one  of  the 
long  rolls  of  parchment  on  which  books  were  written 
in  those  days,  and  dictates  to  Baruch  ben-Neriah  the 
message  he  had  delivered  regarding  Judah  and  Jeru- 
salem and  all  the  nations  from  his  first  preaching  in 
the  days  of  Josiah  on  to  that  day,  in  the  fourth  year  of 
Jehoiakim's  reign. 

Book  read  and  burned.     The  following  year,  the 


STRUGGLK  OF  JEREMIAH  39 

celebration  of  a  great  fast  in  Jerusalem  gave  an  op- 
portunity for  Baruch  to  read  from  this  collection  of 
Jeremiah's  sermons  to  the  people  who  stood  and 
listened  in  the  upper  court.  The  reading  was  soon  re- 
ported to  the  princes  in  the  royal  palace;  Baruch  was 
brought  down  to  read  the  book  over  again  to  them. 
Alarmed  as  they  heard  the  warnings  in  the  name  of 
Jehovah,  they  telt  that  the  l<.ing  ought  to  know,  yet 
they  realized  that  it  would  be  dangerous  for  Jeremiah 
and  Baruch  when  Jehoiakim  heard  the  book  read. 
They  advised  the  prophet  and  his  secretary  to  hide 
themselves  so  that  no  one  should  know  where  they  were 
and  then  read  to  the  king.  After  listening  for  a  little, 
the  king  took  the  parchment,  cut  it  into  bits  with  his 
knife,  and  watched  it  burn  in  the  brazier  of  fire  that 
was  before  him.  The  princes  begged  the  king  not  to 
treat  these  God-sent  prophecies  with  such  scorn,  but 
to  no  avail.  He  burned  the  book  and  then  he  sent 
his  son  and  officers  to  try  and  sieze  Jeremiah  and 
Baruch. 

Prophecies  rewritten.  So,  through  this  act  of  brav- 
ado on  the  part  of  Jehoiakim,  all  the  prophecies  that 
Jeremiah  had  uttered  in  the  five  years  before  the  great 
reform  of  Josiah  and  in  the  first  four  years  of 
Jehoiakim's  reign  were  now  preserved  only  in  memory. 
But  the  prophet  would  not  leave  it  so.  Safe  in  his  hid- 
ing place,  he  dictated  again  to  Baruch,  reproducing  the 
first  book  and  adding  awful  denunciations  upon 
Jehoiakim.  This  second  and  enlarged  edition  must 
be  the  nucleus  of  our  book  of  Jeremiah,  to  which  many 
later  prophecies  were  to  be  added  from  the  prophet's 


40      GREAT  LEADERS  OF  HEBREW  HISTORY 

own  dictation  and  from  the  memory  of  Baruch  and 
other  loyal  followers. 

Important  Biblical  references:  II  Kings  23:  31-37;  Jeremiah 
46:  1-12;  22:  IQ-12;  7:  1-15;  II :  9-14;  16:  1-13;  II :  18-23; 
20: 1-18;  12: 1-6;  36: 1-32. 


CHAPTER  V 

HABAKKUK,    JEREMIAH,    AND   THE    COMING   OF 
THE   BABYLONIANS 

It  was  not  long  after  the  burning  of  Jeremiah's  book 
that  the  scornful  king,  who  had  been  so  confident  in 
Pharaoh's  protection,  had  occasion  to  recall  Jeremiah's 
warnings.  Nebuchadrezzar's  victory  at  Carchemish 
on  the  Euprates  left  Necoh  very  glad  to  get  behind  the 
hundred  mile  strip  of  desert  separating  Palestine  from 
Egypt. 

Habakkuk  and  the  sin  of  Jerusalem.  At  about  the 
time  that  Nebuchadrezzar  was  marching  up  the  Eu- 
phrates, a  new  prophet  raised  his  voice  against  the  in- 
justice and  wickedness  that  prevailed  under  Jehoiakim's 
rule.  He  saw  the  wicked  swallowing  up  those  more 
righteous,  and  yet  God,  the  Holy  One,  kept  silence. 
Perplexed,  he  took  his  stand  upon  his  watchtower  and 
waited  for  an  answer  to  his  complaint.  Waiting  and 
watching,  he  has  a  vision  of  the  judgment  that  is  about 
to  fall  upon  all  those  who  are  proud  and  treacherous 
and  heap  up  that  which  is  not  their  own.  In  the  ad- 
vancing Babylonians,  that  fierce  and  impetuous  nation, 
he  sees  the  Divine  instrument  about  to  execute  sentence 
upon  his  own  corrupt  people.  Their  horses  are  swifter 
than  leopards;  their  horsemen  fly  as  the  eagle  on  its 
prey;  they  gather  up  captives  like  sand  and  laugh  at 

41 


42      GREAT  LEADERS  OF  HEBREW  HISTORY 

kings  and  princes  and  fortresses  resisting  their  victori- 
ous progress. 

Perhaps  the  Babylonian  prince,  Nebuchadrezzar, 
had  already  won  his  great  victory  over  the  Egyptian 
forces,  at  the  ford  of  the  Euphrates,  when  Habakkuk 
received  this  answer  to  his  question,  how  long  will  God 
delay  to  punish  the  men  who  prosper  under  Jehoiakim's 
cynical  rule?  The  protection  of  the  Pharaoh  could 
not  much  longer  support  this  regime. 

The  instrument  of  punishment.  When  he  sees  in 
the  Babylonians  the  instrument  of  punishment,  a  new 
problem  arises  for  the  prophet.  How  can  a  just  God 
use  such  a  conqueror  to  punish  men  that  are  better 
than  the  executioner?  He  is  face  to  face  with  a  great 
question  that  has  puzzled  men  even  down  to  our  own 
day,  and  no  full  answer  is  given  him.  As  we  look 
back,  knowing  the  history  of  the  years  that  followed  the 
conquest  of  Nebuchadrezzar,  we  can  see  that  the  Chal- 
dean conquest  was  indeed  a  refiner's  fire  that  burned 
much  dross  of  cruel  wickedness  out  of  the  hearts  of 
Habakkuk's  countrymen  and  made  them  better  fitted 
to  be  called  the  people  of  God.  Habakkuk  was  right, 
as  we  can  see,  in  recognizing  the  Chaldean  lords  of 
Babylon  as  the  Divine  instrument.  Although  they 
gloried  in  their  own  power  and  strength  and  did  not 
recognize  Jehovah,  he  could  use  them  in  purifying  his 
corrupt  people. 

Jeremiah's  seventy  year  prediction.  That  same 
fateful  year,  Jeremiah  declared  to  the  men  of  Jeru- 
salem that  Jehovah  would  take  the  Babylonians  and 
bring  them   from   the   north   against  Judah  and  her 


THE  COMING  OF  THE  BABYLONIANS       43 

neighbors.  Then  the  voice  of  mirth  and  gladness  and 
the  sound  of  the  peaceful  millstones  with  which  the 
women  ground  the  family  flour,  sitting  safe  before  their 
doors,  would  all  be  silenced  in  the  desolation  of  war. 
For  the  round  number  of  threescore  and  ten  years, 
a  long  lifetime,  they  would  be  a  subject  people.  This 
is  Jeremiah's  famous  seventy  year  prediction  which  has 
caused  so  much  perplexity  in  all  ages  since  for  those 
who  have  tried  to  find  the  limits  of  the  captivity  in  an 
exact  period  of  seventy  years.  In  the  second  century 
before  Christ,  we  shall  find  the  writer  of  the  book 
of  Daniel  feeling  that  the  full  scope  of  Jeremiah's 
prediction  had  not  yet  been  fulfilled,  interpreting  the 
seventy  years  as  seventy  weeks  of  years  —  seven  times 
seventy. 

The  change  of  rulers.  Neither  Habakkuk  nor  Jere- 
miah overemphasized  the  Babylonian  victory.  The 
battle  of  Carchemish  was  a  turning  point  in  the  history 
of  the  world's  great  empires.  It  determined  that  the 
Egyptian  empire  in  Asia  could  not  be  revived  and  began 
the  short  but  magnificent  imperial  rule  of  the  Chal- 
deans, with  Babylon  once  more  the  center  of  a  great 
empire. 

Jehoiakim  rebels.  Compared  with  the  Assyrians, 
who  practiced  systematic  frightfulness  almost  like  that 
of  Prussian  militarism,  the  rule  of  Nebuchadrezzar 
over  subject  peoples  was  clement.  In  Palestine  he  per- 
mitted Jehoiakim  to  continue  as  king  of  Judea,  and 
life  went  on  in  Jerusalem  much  as  it  had  before  the 
king  was  forced  to  change  masters.  Jehoiakim,  how- 
ever,   preferred   dependence   upon   Egypt   which    had 


44      GREAT  LEADERS  OF  HEBREW  HISTORY 

given  him  his  power,  or  thought  Babylon  too  far  off 
to  hold  him  in  subjection,  and,  after  a  few  years,  re- 
belled. 

At  first  Nebuchadrezzar  did  not  come  In  person  with 
a  great  army  to  discipline  this  border  city,  distant  a 
march  of  some  nine  hundred  miles  from  his  capital. 
Instead,  he  tried  instigating  Judah's  hereditary  ene- 
mies round  about  to  attack  her.  These  could  overrun 
the  land,  but  they  could  not  capture  strong  walled 
Jerusalem.  At  length,  in  597  B.  c,  Nebuchadrezzar 
sent  a  Babylonian  army  to  deal  with  the  rebellious 
city. 

Jeremiah  contrasts  Jehoiakim  and  Josiah.  In  these 
years  of  approaching  doom,  Jeremiah  continued  his 
active  teaching.  With  biting  sarcasm,  he  contrasted 
Jehoiakim's  rule  with  that  of  his  father  Josiah.  De- 
scribing the  fine  palace  that  Jehoiakim  had  been  build- 
ing and  decorating,  Jeremiah  asked  whether  he  thought 
that  made  him  a  king.  His  father  executed  the  law 
and  did  justice,  giving  the  poor  man  a  fair  hearing. 
That  sort  of  conduct,  Jeremiah  thought,  made  a  real 
king,  and  was  real  religion  too.  But  Jehoiakim  was 
bent  on  dishonest  gain,  shedding  innocent  blood,  and 
oppression.  Jeremiah  declared  that  such  a  ruler  when 
he  died  would  not  be  honored  even  by  the  customary 
song  of  the  hired  mourners.  His  burial  would  be  like 
that  of  a  dead  ass  that  is  dragged  out  of  the  city  and 
cast  forth. 

The  wasting  of  the  land.  The  prophet  gives  a  vivid 
picture  of  the  devastation  of  the  land.  Probably  this 
was  at  the  time  the  marauding  bands  of  Syrians,  Moab- 


THE  COMING  OF  THE  BABYLONIANS       45 

ites,  and  Ammonites  were  laying  the  country  waste. 
He  tells  of  destroyers  who  have  come  up  on  the  bare 
heights  of  the  wilderness  of  Judea.  Few  scenes  are 
more  barren  of  green  herbage  than  the  brown,  tumbled 
hilltops  by  which  the  plateau  of  Judea  breaks  down  to 
the  plain  of  Jericho  thirty-five  hundred  feet  below. 
The  region  is  perfectly  suited  to  guerilla  warfare. 
Small,  light-armed  bands  skulking  in  the  valleys  might 
easily  elude  large  companies  of  pursuers.  After  the 
capture  of  Jerusalem  by  General  AUenby  in  December, 
19 1 7,  it  was  some  little  time  before  his  disciplined 
forces,  even  when  assisted  by  aeroplanes,  were  able  to 
clear  this  district  east  of  Jerusalem  and  down  to  the 
Jordan. 

Up  these  same  valleys  and  over  these  broken  hills, 
Nebuchadrezzar's  raiders,  stirred  up  from  the  regions 
across  the  Jordan  and  eager  for  plunder,  would  come 
to  fall  upon  those  who  ventured  outside  the  city  walls, 
even  over  to  the  slopes  of  the  Mount  of  Olives.  They 
would  overrun,  too,  the  cultivated  plateau  on  which 
Jerusalem  stood,  so  that  the  sword  devoured  and  no 
flesh  had  peace.  Instead  of  the  ripened  wheat,  the 
reapers  found  only  thorns  to  cut.  Like  Isaiah  before 
him,  Jeremiah  styles  Judea  Jehovah's  vineyard.  It 
is  a  vineyard  into  which  the  beasts  of  the  field  have 
broken  to  devour  and  where  the  shepherds  themselves, 
the  rulers,  have  trampled  down  the  vines. 

Approach  of  the  Babylonian  army.  The  devasta- 
tion of  the  marauders  is  followed  by  the  approach  of 
Nebuchadrezzar's  real  army.  In  a  song  of  lamenta- 
tion over  the  sure  fate  of  his  loved  city,  Jeremiah  calls 


46      GREAT  LEADERS  OF  HEBREW  HISTORY 

upon  his  hearers  to  give  glory  to  Jehovah  before  it  is 
too  late.  If  they  will  not  hear,  his  soul  must  weep  in 
secret  for  their  pride,  and  his  eyes  run  down  with  tears 
for  the  captivity  of  Jehovah's  flock. 

The  "  weeping  prophet."  Jeremiah  is  commonly 
known  as  "  the  weeping  prophet  "  and  is  often  pictured 
with  face  turned  away  in  the  attitude  of  hopeless  grief. 
He  had  reason  to  weep,  and  he  did  weep  on  occasion; 
but  we  have  already  seen  enough  of  his  courageous 
deeds  and  heard  enough  of  his  fearless  words  with- 
standing king,  priest,  and  people,  to  realize  that  the 
usual  pictures  are  a  sad  slander  on  Jeremiah.  Even 
when  the  city  is  besieged  and  the  people  from  the 
country  round  have  crowded  in,  helping  to  use  up  the 
limited  supplies  of  grain,  Jeremiah  does  something  be- 
sides lament. 

Lesson  from  the  Rechabites.  Among  those  who 
have  taken  refuge  in  the  crowded  town  is  a  com- 
pany of  Rechabites.  These  men  have  resisted  the 
civilization  of  city  life  and  settled,  agricultural  life. 
For  two  hundred  and  fifty  years,  they  and  their 
fathers  have  been  banded  together  to  live  in 
the  open  as  Bedouin  wanderers  in  the  midst  of  the  de- 
veloping civilization  of  Palestine.  They  traced  their 
clan  organization  back  to  Jonadab  the  son  of  Rechab 
who  participated  in  Jehu's  revolution  when  Jezebel  was 
slain. 

In  the  crisis  of  597  B.  c,  Jeremiah  gets  this  strange 
group  to  come  with  him  into  one  of  the  chambers  of 
the  temple.  A  growing  crowd,  filled  with  curiosity, 
must  have  followed  along  the  narrow  streets  as  Jere- 


THE  COMING  OF  THE  BABYLONIANS       47 

miah  led  the  men  to  the  temple  court  and  up  into  the 
chamber  of  Johanan,  which  was  by  the  chamber  of  the 
princes  and  above  that  of  the  keeper  of  the  threshold. 
Some  of  the  temple  officers  and  a  part  of  the  people 
may  have  come  in,  but  probably  most  of  the  crowd 
had  to  wait  outside  while  the  prophet  was  in  the  upper 
room  with  the  Rechabites.  In  the  crowded  room,  these 
men  who  were  unaccustomed  to  any  roof  except  the 
black,  goats'  hair  cloth  of  their  tents  were  tried  with 
the  temptation  of  the  city.  Jeremiah  set  before  them 
bowls  of  wine  with  cups  and  invited  them  to  drink. 

The  prophet  knew  full  well  that  one  of  the  luxuries 
of  Canaanite  agriculture  and  city  life  which  these  men 
had  always  refused  to  accept  was  the  fruit  of  the  vine. 
He  knew  how  strong  was  their  pledge  and  how  their 
clan  had  guarded  it  for  long  centuries.  That  was  just 
the  reason  he  had  brought  them  here  for  an  object 
lesson.  The  men  answered  him:  "  We  will  drink  no 
wine;  for  Jonadab  the  son  of  Rechab,  our  father,  com- 
manded us,  saying.  Ye  shall  drink  no  wine,  neither  ye, 
nor  your  son  forever:  neither  shall  ye  build  houses, 
nor  sow  seed,  nor  plant  vineyard,  nor  have  any;  but 
all  your  days  ye  shall  dwell  in  tents;  that  ye  may  live 
many  days  in  the  land  wherein  ye  sojourn.  .  .  .  We 
have  obeyed,  and  done  according  to  all  that  Jonadab 
our  father  commanded  us." 

Now  Jeremiah  has  his  object  lesson;  he  goes  out  and 
tells  the  people  in  Jerusalem  how  faithful  these  men 
are  to  the  command  of  their  ancestor,  while  the  people 
of  Jerusalem  are  so  faithless  to  Jehovah's  command. 
Jehovah  will  bless  the  Rechabites  for  their  faithfulness 


48      GREAT  LEADERS  OF  HEBREW  HISTORY 

and  he  will  bring  upon  Judah  and  Jerusalem  all  the 
evil  that  he  has  promised  against  them. 

Death  of  Jehoiakim  and  warning  to  new  king.  Be- 
fore the  full  measure  of  well  merited  fate  fell  upon 
the  city  and  its  king,  Jehoiakim  died  and  left  his  wife 
and  eighteen  year  old  son  to  face  the  wrath  of  Nebu- 
chadrezzar. Jeremiah  declared  in  Jehovah's  name 
that  though  the  young  king  wore  the  very  signet  ring  of 
the  Lord,  he  and  his  mother  should  be  cast  out  and 
none  of  his  seed  should  sit  upon  the  throne  of  David. 
He  and  his  mother  must  go  into  far  captivity,  never  to 
return  to  native  land. 

Jerusalem's  surrender.  Perhaps  the  warnings  of 
Jeremiah  influenced  Jehoiachin  and  his  advisers  in  their 
decision  to  surrender  to  the  Babylonians,  three  months 
after  Jehoiakim's  death.  The  king,  the  queen  mother, 
the  royal  attendants,  and  officers  all  went  out  from  the 
city  and  gave  themselves  up  as  prisoners.  The  con- 
querors plundered  temple  and  palace.  The  sacred 
golden  vessels  that  had  been  under  the  protection  of 
the  dynasty  since  Solomon's  time,  almost  four  centuries 
earlier,  were  now  booty  for  the  conqueror  whose  wrath 
Jehoiakim  had  so  persistently  invited. 

The  first  deportation.  Following  the  policy  of  de- 
portation that  the  brutal  Assyrians  had  developed  to 
break  the  power  of  resistance  in  conquered  peoples, 
Nebuchadrezzar  carried  off  to  Babylon  ten  thousand 
men,  besides  women  and  children.  These  were  the 
very  bone  and  sinew  of  the  little  state  —  princes,  war- 
riors, and  skilled  artizans. 

Settlement  in  Babylonia.     Nine  hundred  long  and 


THE  COMING  OF  THE  BABYLONIANS      49 

weary  miles,  up  through  northern  Palestine  and  Syria, 
past  the  Lebanons,  and  over  the  dreary  plains  to  the 
Euphrates;  then  down  the  long,  long  river  valley,  day 
after  day  and  week  after  week,  the  wretched  exiles, 
footsore  and  disheartened,  went  their  weary  way,  under 
guard,  until  they  came  to  the  hot,  dusty  plain  of  Baby- 
lonia. Here  they  were  settled  in  communities,  one  of 
which  at  least  was  on  the  bank  of  one  of  the  sluggish 
canals  that  interlaced  the  plain,  bringing  water  for  the 
land  and  controlling  the  spring  floods  of  the  rivers. 
A  few  years  ago,  American  excavators  discovered  an 
inscription  that  identified  this  canal,  the  Chebar,  as 
one  that  ran  southeastward  of  the  city  of  Babylon,  past 
the  old  city  of  Nippur. 

The  men  of  Judah,  accustomed  to  their  mountain 
air,  and  loving  their  highland  scenery,  as  all  hill  people 
do,  suffered  sadly  on  those  intensely  hot,  monotonous 
plains.  They  seem  to  have  been  allowed  a  large 
measure  of  freedom  to  live  according  to  their  own  cus- 
toms in  the  communities  where  they  were  settled,  and 
to  receive  messengers  who  came,  from  time  to  time, 
from  their  old  home,  but  their  hearts  were  sad  and 
weary.  One  of  their  own  poets  later  pictured  their 
feelings: 

By  the  rivers  of  Babylon, 

There  we  sat  down,  yea,  we  wept, 

When  we  remembered  Zion. 

Upon  the  willows  in  the  midst  thereof 

We  hanged  up  our  harps. 

For  there  they  that  led  us  captive  required  of  us  songs, 

And  they  that  wasted  us,  mirth. 


50      GREAT  LEADERS  OF  HEBREW  HISTORY 

Sing  us  one  of  the  songs  of  Zion. 
How  shall  we  sing  Jehovah's  song 
In  a  foreign  land? 

Important  Biblical  references:  II  Kings,  24:1-17;  Habak- 
kuk  1:1-2:4;  Jeremiah  25:1-14;  22:13-19;  12:7-14; 
13:  15-17;  35;  Psalms  137- 


CHAPTER  VI 

JEREMIAH  AND  THE  FALL  OF  JERUSALEM 

The  Jews  in  Judea  and  Babylon.  When  Jehoiachin 
was  carried  to  Babylon,  his  father's  brother  was  left 
as  nativ^e  ruler  over  the  despoiled  and  partly  depopu- 
lated country.  Jeremiah's  opinion  of  this  king  and  the 
men  who  were  left  behind  under  his  rule  was  very  un- 
complimentary. They  were  disposed  to  pride  them- 
selves on  being  favored  of  Jehovah  over  the  exiles  upon 
whom  the  judgment  had  fallen.  He  told  them  that, 
on  the  contrary,  the  exiles  were  the  fine,  large,  first- 
ripe  figs,  while  they  who  were  left  were  the  bad  figs 
that  nobody  could  eat.  God  would  watch  over  and  re- 
store the  good  figs,  but  the  new  king  Zedekiah  and  the 
other  bad  figs  would  be  utterly  consumed  out  of  the 
land. 

Jeremiah  and  the  prophets  of  false  hope.  Jeremiah 
wrote  a  letter  to  the  exiles  in  Babylonia,  advising  them 
to  settle  down  there  to  normal  life,  building  houses, 
planting  gardens,  marrying,  rearing  famiHes,  and  seek- 
ing the  peace  and  prosperity  of  the  land  to  which  they 
had  been  carried.  He  warned  them  not  to  believe  the 
prophets  among  them  who  were  promising  that  they 
would  soon  come  back.  The  seventy  years  which  he 
had  predicted  must  first  be  fulfilled.  We  know  the 
names  of  some  of  these  misleading  prophets  among  the 

51 


52      GREAT  LEADERS  OF  HEBREW  HISTORY 

exiles  whose  lives  were  as  unworthy  as  their  hopes 
were  delusive.  Two  bore  the  royal  names  of  Ahab 
and  Zedekiah.  Another,  Shemiah,  wrote  to  the  priest 
who  was  now  in  charge  of  the  Jerusalem  temple,  de- 
claring that  it  was  the  priest's  duty  to  put  in  the  stocks 
such  a  mad  man  as  Jeremiah  who  pretended  to  be  a 
prophet.  The  new  priest  read  the  letter  to  Jeremiah, 
perhaps  as  a  warning  of  what  he  might  expect.  Jere- 
miah replied  by  writing  to  the  exiles,  denouncing 
Shemiah  as  one  who  had  no  Divine  commission  as  a 
prophet. 

In  Jerusalem,  too,  prophets  of  false  hope  and  evil 
life  were  active.  Jeremiah  found  both  prophet  and 
priest  shamefully  corrupt.  He  declared  that,  if  these 
prophets  had  really  stood  in  God's  counsel  and  heeded 
his  words,  they  would  have  turned  back  the  people  from 
their  evil  deeds. 

Test  of  true  prophet.  It  was  not  easy  for  the  people 
to  tell  who  was  the  true  prophet,  the  one  who  warned 
of  coming  danger  or  the  ooe  who  promised  speedy  de- 
liverance. Jeremiah  is  the  first  to  give  the  true  test: 
is  the  teaching  morally  right?  Six  hundred  years  later 
Jesus  gave  his  hearers  a  similar  test  when  he  warned 
them  to  beware  of  false  prophets.  He  told  them  that 
they  should  know  them  by  their  fruits  and  went  on  to 
say:  "  Not  every  one  that  salth  unto  me  Lord,  Lord, 
shall  enter  into  the  kingdom  of  heaven;  but  he  that 
doeth  the  will  of  my  Father  who  is  in  heaven."  More 
than  once  Jeremiah  gives  us  a  foretaste  of  the  best 
truths  of  the  New  Testament.     This  is  one  of  the  in- 


THE  FALL  OF  JERUSALEM  53 

stances  and  is  one  of  the  high  water  marks  in  the  Old 
Testament. 

The  false  teachers  claimed  that  God  had  spoken  to 
them  in  dreams  and  that  they  could  tell  what  was  go- 
ing to  happen.  Jeremiah  said  that  the  true  word  of 
God  was  like  a  fire  or  like  a  hammer  that  breaks  rock 
in  pieces.  Men  are  ever  setting  up  other  tests,  but 
Jeremiah  and  Jesus  give  us  the  true  tests  of  the  teacher 
who  has  the  word  of  God.  It  is  a  life  that  bears  good 
fruit,  that  does  the  will  of  the  Father;  it  is  a  teaching 
that  burns  and  breaks  the  evil  out  of  men's  lives. 

Alliance  against  Babylon,  Some  four  years  went 
by  and  the  prophets,  priests,  and  people  who  did  not 
see  that  the  people  must  be  purified  by  long  exile  and 
suffering  had  their  way  in  a  conspiracy  of  the  south- 
western provinces  to  rebel  from  Nebuchadrezzar. 
Messengers  came  to  King  Zedediah  from  Edom,  Moab, 
and  Ammon,  over  on  the  borders  of  the  desert,  and 
from  Tyre  and  Sidon,  up  on  the  sea  coast.  Jeremiah 
put  a  yoke  on  his  neck,  so  that  these  ambassadors 
might  carry  back  word  to  the  kings  who  sent  them 
that  God,  who  made  the  earth,  had  put  all  these  lands, 
for  the  time,  under  the  yoke  of  Nebuchadrezzar.  He 
gave  the  same  message  to  King  Zedekiah  and  urged  the 
people  and  priests  not  to  listen  to  the  false  prophets 
who  were  still  promising  that  the  vessels  of  the  temple 
would  soon  be  brought  back  from  Babylon.  On  the 
contrary,  he  told  them  that  they  themselves  would  be 
taken  there. 

The  false  prophets  knew  as  well  as  Jeremiah  how  to 


54      GREAT  LEADERS  OF  HEBREW  HISTORY 

make  an  Impression  on  the  people.  One  of  them, 
Hananiah,  predicted  that  Jehovah  would  return  the 
captives  within  two  years  and,  In  the  presence  of  the 
priests  and  all  the  people  In  the  temple,  he  tore  the 
yoke  off  Jeremiah's  neck  and  broke  It.  No  doubt  the 
crowd  laughed  and  jeered  as  Jeremiah  wont  away 
without  his  alarming  yoke  on  his  shoulders.  Soon  he 
was  back  with  a  yoke  of  Iron  in  place  of  that  of  wood 
and  with  a  promise  of  death  within  the  year  for  Han- 
aniah. 

Coming  of  Babylonian  army.  There  Is  some  Indi- 
cation that  Zedeklah  was  summoned  to  Babylon  to  give 
an  account  of  this  threatened  rebellion.  However  that 
may  be,  the  negotiations  of  the  western  princes  seem 
to  have  fallen  through,  for  It  Is  not  until  some  four 
years  later  that  we  find  Judea  In  actual  rebellion.  By 
589,  however,  it  had  become  necessjary  for  Nebu- 
chadrezzar to  send  an  army,  as  he  had  done  eight  years 
before. 

When  the  evident  danger  was  at  hand,  the  king 
turned  to  Jeremiah  feeling  that  he  had  true  wisdom 
from  God.  He  hoped  for  a  promise  of  mercy,  but 
he  received  answer  that  Jehovah  himself  would  fight 
against  them.  Pestilence  would  break  out  In  the  be- 
sieged city;  the  king,  his  servants,  and  the  people  who 
escaped  from  sword,  famine,  and  disease  would  be  de- 
livered up  to  Nebuchadrezzar.  To  the  people,  he  de- 
clared that  their  only  hope  was  to  desert  to  the  Chal- 
deans because  Jehovah  had  determined  to  give  over  the 
city.  When  the  Babylonian  forces  had  overrun  all 
Judea   and   only  the   capital   and   two   other   fortified 


THE  FALL  OF  JERUSALEM  55 

towns  were  holding  out,  Jeremiah  promised  a  peaceful 
end  for  King  Zedekiah,  if  even  now  he  would  listen  to 
God's  word. 

Release  of  slaves.  Zedekiah  made  some  attempt  to 
reform  the  practices  of  the  people  in  accord  with  the 
humane  law  which  required  the  release  of  all  Hebrew 
slaves  at  the  end  of  six  years.  In  their  dire  distress 
the  people  agreed  to  proclaim  a  general  release.  Soon 
the  sincerity  of  their  reform  was  tested.  Pharaoh 
came  out  with  an  army  from  Egypt  and  Nebuchadrez- 
zar was  forced  to  raise  the  siege  of  Jerusalem  in  order 
to  meet  the  danger.  Jeremiah  warned  the  king  that 
the  Egyptians  would  retire  and  that  the  Chaldeans 
would  return,  but  the  people,  mad  with  joy  at  their 
sudden  release,  took  their  slaves  back  into  bondage. 
Relief  from  danger  had  come  and  it  was  not  necessary 
to  be  good  any  more.  As  they  refused  freedom  to 
their  fellow  Jews,  Jeremiah  proclaimed  freedom  to 
sword,  pestilence,  and  famine. 

Arrest  of  Jeremiah.  The  temporary  withdrawal 
of  the  besiegers  gave  Jeremiah  an  opportunity  to  start 
for  his  native  town  of  Anathoth  to  attend  to  some 
business  connected  with  his  family  estate.  As  he  was 
going  out  of  the  city  gate  the  captain  of  the  guard 
seized  him  and  accused  him  of  deserting  to  the  enemy. 
The  prophet's  denial  availed  nothing  and  he  was  cast 
into  prison.  After  he  had  been  many  days  in  the 
dungeon,  Zedekiah  had  him  secretly  conducted  to  his 
palace,  hoping  to  get  from  him  a  promise  of  deliver- 
ance. No  doubt  the  Chaldeans  had  already  returned 
to  the  siege.     The  king  got  no  hope  from  Jeremiah, 


56      GREAT  LEADERS  OF  HEBREW  HISTORY 

but  he  did  listen  to  the  prophet's  plea  for  release  from 
the  deadly  dungeon  and  only  confined  him  to  the  court 
of  the  guard  where  he  was  given  an  allowance  of  bread 
as  long  as  the  supply  lasted. 

Left  to  die  in  the  empty  cistern.  The  milder  Im- 
prisonment was  not  to  last,  for  the  leaders  of  the  party 
that  was  determined  to  resist  to  the  last  forced  the 
king  to  give  Jeremiah  into  their  hands.  Once  in  their 
power,  they  let  him  down  with  cords  into  an  old  cistern 
In  the  court  of  the  guard,  there  to  lie  and  starve  in  the 
mud  at  Its  bottom.  Any  one  who  has  peered  down 
Into  the  old,  dark,  dank  cistern  pits  of  Judea  can  appre- 
ciate the  purpose  of  Inflicting  death  by  slow  misery. 
Fortunately  a  eunuch  of  the  palace  protested  to  the 
weak  and  changing  king  and  got  permission  to  take 
three  men  and  let  down  old  rags  and  garments  for 
Jeremiah  to  put  under  his  armpits  and  so  to  be  drawn 
up  with  cords  to  a  less  deadly  imprisonment. 

Buying  land  as  mark  of  faith.  Again  the  king  sent 
for  the  prophet  and  again  Jeremiah  advised  that  the 
only  hope  for  life  was  to  surrender.  As  the  siege 
wore  on  and  Jeremiah  was  still  shut  up  in  the  court  of 
the  guard,  his  cousin  came  to  ask  him  as  the  nearest  rel- 
ative to  buy  a  piece  of  family  land  in  Anathoth.  Jere- 
miah recognized  in  the  occasion  an  opportunity  from 
God  to  show  that  he  really  believed  Judah  would  be 
restored  after  the  exile.  So  he  bought  the  land, 
weighed  out  the  silver,  signed  the  deed  before  wit- 
nesses, and  had  Baruch  put  the  document  In  an  earthen 
vessel  where  it  would  be  safe  for  many  years,  Jere- 
miah, who  had  been  steadily  predicting  destruction  for 


THE  FALL  OF  JERUSALEM  57 

Jerusalem  and  long  exile,  thus  gave  a  very  practical 
demonstration  of  his  faith  that  houses  and  fields  and 
vineyards  should  yet  again  be  bought  in  the  land. 

The  new  covenant.  The  prophet  realized  that  the 
return  and  rebuilding  which  he  anticipated  for  a  later 
generation,  would  not  be  worth  while  unless  the  child- 
ren who  were  to  come  back  were  a  very  different  sort 
from  the  fathers  who  had  brought  ruin  on  the  land. 
When  he  was  still  a  young  man,  he  had  seen  the  nation 
renew  the  covenant  with  God  to  be  true  to  his  com- 
mands. Then  he  had  seen  them  break  their  contract, 
after  the  death  of  Josiah  when  Jeholakim  ruled  and 
scorned  all  laws  of  God.  In  the  stress  of  siege  under 
Zedekiah,  he  had  seen  them  make  a  brief  attempt  to 
carry  out  the  law  of  the  slaves  and  then  break  the  law, 
just  as  soon  as  the  danger  was  relieved.  With  them 
agreements  were  nothing,  save  as  sore  distress  might 
force  them. 

Jeremiah  showed  great  faith  when  he  looked  across 
the  years  of  exile  and  acted  on  the  assurance  that 
houses  and  fields  would  yet  again  be  bought  and  sold 
In  Judea.  He  revealed  a  deeper  faith  and  insight 
when,  out  of  the  darkness  of  broken  covenants,  he 
declared:  "  The  days  will  come,  salth  Jehovah,  that  I 
will  make  a  new  covenant  with  the  house  of  Israel,  and 
with  the  house  of  Judah:  not  according  to  the  covenant 
that  I  made  with  their  fathers  .  .  .  which  my  covenant 
they  brake.   ...   I  will  put  my  law  In  their  Inward 

parts,  and  In  their  heart  will  I  write  It They 

shall  all  know  me  from  the  least  of  them  unto  the 
greatest  of  them."     He  did  not  say  that  this  would 


58      GREAT  LEADERS  OF  HEBREW  HISTORY 

come  to  pass  in  seventy  years  or  seven  times  seventy 
years,  but  the  God  enlightened  prophet  knew  that  until 
the  people  had  the  teaching  of  God  in  their  hearts  and 
knew  his  true  character,  their  life  as  a  people  would 
not  be  safe. 

We  shall  see  the  people  of  Israel,  after  the  return 
from  exile,  humbled  by  punishment,  trying  to  learn 
and  keep  God's  commands,  but  we  must  wait  full  six 
hundred  years  before  one  comes  who  makes  men  really 
understand  what  it  means  to  have  the  law  written  in 
the  heart  and  to  know  God.  St.  Paul  tells  us  that 
when  Jesus  instituted  the  great  sacrament  {sarcramen- 
tum,  oath  of  allegiance)  he  said,  "  This  is  the  new 
covenant  in  my  blood."  Jesus  made  possible  for  men 
what  Jeremiah  saw  in  hope  and  faith  when  the  old 
covenant  had  been  broken  once  and  again. 

In  the  summer  of  586  B.  c,  after  a  long  siege,  the 
Chaldeans  breached  the  strong  walls.  Zedekiah,  at 
the  head  of  a  few  soldiers,  fled,  in  the  confusion,  down 
the  wilderness  road  toward  Jericho,  but  he  was  cap- 
tured and  taken  before  Nebuchadrezzar.  No  mercy 
was  shown,  his  sons  were  slain  before  his  eyes,  and, 
with  that  horrible  picture  the  last  impression  on  his 
vision,  he  was  blinded  and  carried  a  prisoner  to  Baby- 
lon. 

Last  scenes  of  Jeremiah's  life.  When  the  Babylon- 
ians learned  how  Jeremiah  had  tried  to  dissuade  king 
and  people  from  rebellion,  they  gave  him  freedom  to 
go  to  Babylon  or  remain  with  the  remnant  of  his 
people  left  in  Judea.  He  chose  to  stay,  but  he  was 
not  even  now  to  know  any  peace.     With  Jerusalem 


THE  FALL  OF  JERUSALEM  59 

destroyed,  Mizpah,  five  miles  away,  was  made  the 
seat  of  Gedaliah,  the  governor  of  the  people  left  in  the 
devastated  land.  Soon  Gedaliah  was  assassinated  by 
the  leader  of  a  marauding  band,  a  prince  of  the  royal 
family.  In  terror,  the  Mizpah  company  fled  to  Egypt, 
against  Jeremiah's  advice,  but  taking  him  with  them. 

In  the  land  of  the  Nile,  the  prophet  warned  his 
countrymen  that  they  were  not  yet  safe,  for  Egypt 
would  be  conquered.  There  they  practiced  idolatry 
and  were  deaf  to  his  warnings.  Our  last  glimpse  of 
Jeremiah  shows  him  pronouncing  doom  upon  the 
idolaters,  yet  not  without  a  glimpse  of  hope.  A  few, 
very  few,  he  is  sure  will  escape  from  Egypt  to  their 
own  land. 

Thus  the  curtain  falls  on  one  of  the  most  tragic 
stories  in  history.  The  night  of  exile  has  come.  A 
remnant  of  the  Jews  are  in  Egypt,  faithless  to  their 
God.  In  Judea,  desolate  and  devastated,  anarchy 
rules  among  the  poor  and  ignorant  elements  left  in  the 
land.  The  hope  of  the  future  rests  largely  with  the 
fifty  thousand  who  are  exiles  in  far  Babylonia,  yet  few 
of  them  can  see  the  hope.  It  needs  a  prophet's  vision 
and  faith  to  look  through  the  long,  dark  night  to  the 
dawn.  Jeremiah  had  this  vision  and  faith  and  so  his 
tragic  story  is  a  story  of  hope. 

Important  Biblical  references:  II  Kings  24:  18-25:26;  Jere- 
miah 24;  29;  23:23-32;  27;  28;  51:59;  21;  34:6-22;  Ex- 
odus 21:2;  Deuteronomy  15:12;  Jeremiah  37:11-38:28; 
32: 1-15;  31:31-34; 39-44- 


CHAPTER  VII 

EZEKIEL   AND    HIS    EARLY    MESSAGE    IN    BABYLON 

Ezekiel  taken  to  Babylon.  We  must  now  turn  back 
in  thought  from  586  to  597  B.  c.  and  go  with  the  first 
exiles  to  Babylon.  Among  the  ten  thousand  men  of 
standing,  who  with  their  families  were  carried  away, 
was  a  young  priest,  by  name  Ezekiel.  He  was  one 
of  the  company  who  were  allowed  to  settle  on  the  bank 
of  the  river  Chebar.  Very  probably  the  young  Jewish 
priest  was  able  to  go  into  the  city  of  Nippur  and  saw 
there  the  great  temple  of  the  god  Enlil.  This  ancient 
deity  had  been  honored  there  more  than  two  thousand 
years  before  Ezekiel's  day.  Here,  or  elsewhere  in 
Babylonia,  the  young  priest  must  have  seen  the  strange 
images  which  the  Babylonians  loved  to  carve  for  the 
entrances  of  their  temples  and  palaces.  These  were 
often  composite  creatures  made  up,  it  might  be,  of  a 
bull's  body,  a  bird's  wings,  and  a  man's  head.  Some- 
times they  were  even  stranger  products  of  the  imagina- 
tion; such  were  the  sirushes  ^  that  Nebuchadrezzar  had 
carved  on  the  gate  of  the  great  street  for  religious 
processions  in  Babylon.  Perhaps  Ezekiel  visited  the 
capital  city  itself  and  saw  there  the  wonders  that  were 
being  created  in  his  time  by  the  great  king. 

During  the  first  five  years  of  his  captivity,  the  young 

1  See  plate  facing  page  88. 

60 


EZEKIEL  AND  HIS  MESSAGE  6i 

priest  was  thinking  deeply  upon  the  coming  fate  of 
Jerusalem  and  the  exile  of  himself  and  his  companions. 
Most  of  the  people  had  no  idea  that  their  national 
god,  Jehovah,  was  here  in  Babylonia,  as  near  to  them 
as  in  Jerusalem.  Of  God  as  a  universal  spirit  they 
had  no  conception.  They  still  had  the  primitive 
thought  of  deities  as  limited  to  particular  countries 
and  places,  at  best  able  to  go  into  foreign  countries  only 
like  kings  with  the  victorious  armies  of  their  peoples. 
Ezekiel  was  familiar  with  the  higher  conception  of 
God  which  had  been  revealed  through  the  great  proph- 
ets of  Israel,  Amos,  Isaiah,  Jeremiah,  and  was  thus 
prepared  for  a  strange  and  wonderful  vision  of  Jehovah 
in  far  off  Babylonia. 

Vision  of  God  in  Babylon.  Approaching  from  the 
north,  the  direction  whence  the  weary,  footsore  captives 
had  come  five  years  before,  he  saw  a  great  thunder 
cloud  flashing  with  lightning.  From  the  days  when 
Jehovah  revealed  himself  to  Moses  on  the  cloud  cap- 
ped summit  of  Sinai  onward,  the  sudden,  terrifying 
thunder  clouds  of  Palestine  had  ever  been  to  Hebrew 
poet  and  prophet  the  chariot  of  the  Lord.  Now  the 
priest  in  Babylonia  has  had  his  imagination  filled  with 
the  strange  imagery  of  that  land  and  its  religion,  in 
addition  to  the  majestic  symbols  of  nature  familiar  in 
his  own  religious  literature.  As  the  flame-lighted  cloud 
draws  nearer  he  begins  to  discern  the  likeness  of  living 
creatures  in  the  onrolling,  flashing  cloud  mass.  Each 
has  four  faces,  and  four  wings,  and  hoofs  that  sparkle 
as  burnished  brass;  yes,  and  under  the  wings  there  are 
hands  like  those  of  men.     The  spread  wings  of  each 


62      GREAT  LEADERS  OF  HEBREW  HISTORY 

touch  those  of  the  others  and  all  four  creatures  keep 
in  perfect  position. 

The  front  faces  are  all  those  of  men,  but,  were  you 
to  view  the  fast  moving  group  from  the  right  side, 
four  lions'  faces  would  be  toward  you;  from  the  left, 
they  would  be  those  of  oxen,  and  from  the  rear,  of 
eagles.  All  is  brilliant  as  burning  coals  from  the  swift 
moving  fire  of  lightning.  On  the  earth  beside  each 
living  creature  is  a  strange,  great  wheel,  a  wheel  with 
another  set  within  it,  at  right  angles,  so  that  each 
could  roll  forward,  backward,  to  the  right,  or  left  with- 
out being  turned  to  one  side.  The  wheels  seemed  to 
be  made  of  transparent  beryl,  and  they  were  living, 
too,  for  the  rim  of  each  was  dreadful,  full  of  eyes  look- 
ing out  in  all  directions.  The  wheels  ran  now  upon 
the  earth  and  now  they  rose  with  the  winged  living 
creatures,  for  the  spirit  of  life  was  in  the  wheels. 

Above  the  heads  of  the  living  creatures,  there  was 
a  crystal  dome  like  that  of  the  sky,  and  above  this  a 
throne  as  it  were  of  beautiful  blue  sapphire.  On  the 
throne  sat  a  human  figure  of  glowing  fire  and  like  a 
rainbow  was  the  brightness  round  about  it.  This  was 
the  appearance  of  the  likeness  of  Jehovah.  When 
Ezekiel  saw,  he  fell  upon  his  face  and  heard  a  voice. 
The  voice  addressed  the  young  priest,  commissioning 
him  as  a  prophet  to  speak  to  his  countrymen  in  exile. 
An  outstretched  hand  seemed  to  give  him  a  book  to 
eat,  written  with  lamenations  and  mourning  and  woe; 
yet  its  taste  was  sweet  as  honey,  for  this  was  the  word 
'of  God  and  it  was  to  become,  like  food,  the  very  life 
of  the  prophet. 


EZEKIEL  AND  HIS  MESSAGE  63 

This  inaugural  vision  which  came  to  Ezckicl  in  the 
summer  of  592  H.  c.  showed  him  the  God  of  Israel  not 
limited  to  Jerusalem  and  little  Palestine,  hut  able  to 
follow  his  distressed  people  to  their  distant  land  of 
captivity  and  there  to  commission  a  prophet  to  speak 
for  him,  just  as  truly  as  he  had  commissioned  Isaiah 
by  his  temple  altar  in  Jerusalem. 

Comparison  of  Isaiah's  inaugural  vision.  It  is  in- 
teresting to  compare  the  two  visions  of  Jehovah  (Isa. 
6  and  Ezek.  i)  in  which  God's  exaltation,  majesty, 
and  splendor  are  so  impressively  pictured.  Isaiah, 
like  Ezekiel,  saw  the  Lord  sitting  upon  a  throne  high 
and  lifted  up.  Above  him  were  shining,  winged  be- 
ings, singing  "  Holy,  holy,  holy."  As  they  praised  him 
whose  glory  filled  the  earth,  the  foundations  of  the 
temple  shook  and  the  house  itself  was  full  of  smoke. 
At  the  vision  of  the  Divine  splendor  and  exaltation  in 
holiness,  Isaiah  was  overcome,  first  with  a  sense  of  his 
own  uncleanness  and  then  the  uncleanness  of  the  people. 
When  the  burning  coal  from  the  altar  had  touched  his 
lips,  he  was  ready  to  answer  the  call,  "  Whom  shall  I 
send?  "  and  was  given  his  ppophet's  message  of  judg- 
ment and  hope. 

Ezekiel,  we  have  seen,  had  moved  among  the  great, 
symbolic  images  associated  with  Babylonian  mythology 
and  religion.  These  spoke  to  the  people  of  the 
guardianship  of  deities  who  had  given  wisdom  and 
power  to  the  rulers  of  Babylon  centuries  before.  Eze- 
kiel saw  such  mysterious  beings  rather  as  the  throne 
bearers  of  Isaiah's  exalted  God  whose  glory  did  indeed 
fill  the  earth.     He  could  sit  upon  his  sapphire  throne 


64      GREAT  LEADERS  OF  HEBREW  HISTORY 

surrounded  with  the  lightning's  splendor  and,  with 
turning  wheel  or  rushing  wing,  be  borne  to  Babylon  by 
creatures  more  terrible  than  those  which  commanded 
the  fear  and  reverence  of  the  conquering  Chaldeans. 

Isaiah's  unclean  lips  were  purged  by  the  fire  from  the 
altar  and  made  fit  instruments  for  proclaiming  God's 
message.  Ezekiel,  hundreds  of  miles  away  from  that 
symbolic  fire,  received  the  words  in  the  form  of  a  book. 
Both  found  the  message  one  of  woe,  to  be  pronounced 
upon  a  people  deaf  to  the  guiding  word  of  God. 
Isaiah  had  to  receive  assurance  of  the  burning  away  of 
his  own  sin  before  he  was  ready  for  his  commission. 
To  Ezekiel  there  came  with  the  commission  a  great  and 
terrible  sense  of  responsibility. 

Comparison  of  Jeremiah's  inaugural  vision.  Eze- 
kiel's  inaugural  vision  had  some  elements  too  in  com- 
mon with  that  of  Jeremiah.  We  remember  that  this 
prophet  felt  himself  a  mere  child,  unable  to  speak 
until  the  Divine  hand  touched  his  mouth  and  put  words 
within  it.  Then  there  came  to  him  the  vision  of  evil, 
breaking  forth  out  of  the  north  like  a  boiling  caldron, 
the  foreglimpse  of  Jerusalem's  siege,  and  there  came 
also  the  repeated  exhortation  not  to  be  discouraged 
for  Jehovah  had  made  the  shrinking  youth  strong  as 
iron  pillar  and  brazen  walls. 

Jeremiah's  vision  did  not  have  all  the  splendid  ima- 
gery and  majesty  of  the  other  two,  but  the  essen- 
tial message  that  led  each  great  prophet  to  under- 
take his  life  work  had  much  in  common.  Since  the 
people  are  ever  hostile  to  new  and  higher  truth,  they 


EZEKIEL  AND  HIS  MESSAGE  65 

have  to  be  taught  by  suffering  and  the  prophet  begins 
with  a  word  of  woe. 

The  message  is  one,  and  yet  it  varies  with  the  times 
and  with  the  temperament  of  each  messenger.  Isaiah 
who  is  to  be  a  great  teacher  of  righteousness  feels 
first  his  own  sin;  when  this  is  forgiven,  eager,  he  hears 
the  call  and  answers  "  Here  am  I;  send  me."  He  is 
the  most  glorious  of  the  three.  Jeremiah,  timid,  sensi- 
tive, feels  his  own  weakness,  and  yet  realizes  that  Ciod 
has  work  for  him  to  do,  for  which  he  was  appointed  be- 
fore his  very  birth.  With  this  comes  the  assurance 
that  God's  strength  is  made  perfect  in  weakness.  His 
life  is  not  so  splendid  in  the  eyes  of  men,  but  he  comes 
to  deeper  and  more  significant  truth  than  Isaiah. 

The  prophet  a  watchman.  Ezekiel  is  not  a  glor- 
ious young  poet  and  leader  like  Isaiah  nor  a  man  cap- 
able of  such  deep  experiences  as  Jeremiah.  He  re- 
ceives his  message,  goes  in  the  bitterness  and  heat  of 
his  spirit  to  the  captives  at  Tel-abib  by  the  River 
Chebar,  and  then  for  seven  days  sits  overwhelmed 
among  them.  His  sense  of  terrible  responsibility 
comes  to  him  in  a  homely  comparison  with  the  watch- 
man set  upon  the  wall  of  a  city  to  warn  of  approaching 
enemies.  If  he  cries  the  warning,  the  people  are  re- 
sponsible to  defend  themselves;  if  he  fails,  their  blood 
is  on  his  head.  Yet  the  new-made  prophet  seems 
not  quite  ready  to  give  his  message.  He  turns  away 
from  the  river  to  the  glory  of  the  great  unending 
plain  of  Babylonia  and  lo,  there  is  the  glory  of  Jehovah 
like  that  which   he  saw  by  the  river  Chebar.     This 


66      GREAT  LEADERS  OF  HEBREW  HISTORY 

time  he  learns  that  he  may  not  always  cry  his  message 
to  the  people  who  are  rebellious  against  Jehovah. 
At  times,  the  Lord  will  make  him  silent  among  them 
and,  at  times,  he  shall  speak. 

The  danger  of  the  time.  Ezekiel's  times  of  silence 
become  almost  more  impressive  than  his  speech.  He 
learns  to  arouse  curiosity  and  interest  through  the  eye, 
when  he  cannot  get  a  hearing.  He  tries  all  sorts  of 
queer  ways  to  drive  home  the  lesson  that  the  captives 
must  needs  learn  if  they  are  to  be  at  all  prepared  for 
the  coming  destruction  of  Jerusalem.  When  Nineveh 
fell  the  Assyrian  god,  Asshur,  ceased  to  be  respected 
and  feared  in  the  world.  The  Assyrian  kings  had 
ascribed  their  cruel  conquests  to  the  favor  of  this  god 
and  when  victory  came  to  their  enemies,  his  worship 
soon  perished  from  the  earth.  What  would  happen 
to  the  fear  and  worship  of  Jehovah  when  his  city 
should  be  destroyed,  his  temple  in  ruins,  and  the  nation 
that  had  trusted  him  for  defense,  scattered? 

The  prophecy  of  the  tile.  The  prophet  Ezekiel 
knew  that  the  exiles  in  Babylon,  whose  faith  in  Jehovah 
now  centered  in  belief  that  he  would  soon  restore  them 
to  their  land,  were  in  danger  of  ceasing  altogether  to 
fear  or  trust  him  when  Jerusalem  should  fall.  They 
might  not  heed  words  of  warning,  but  their  curiosity 
compelled  them  to  watch  when  the  prophet  took  a 
tile,  laid  it  on  the  ground  and  began  to  draw  a  picture 
on  it.  Probably  it  was  one  of  the  large,  soft,  unbaked 
bricks  on  which  the  Babylonians  wrote  with  a  blunt 
stylus.  As  they  watched,  they  saw  that  he  was  not 
trying   to   make   the   little   wedge-shaped  marks  with 


EZEKIKL  AND  HIS  MESSAGE  67 

which  the  Babylonian  scribes  formed  their  words,  nor 
yet  the  lines  that  shaped  Hebrew  letters.  He  was 
picturing  a  city;  yes,  it  was  Jerusalem,  which  they  had 
last  seen  more  than  five  years  before,  as  they  looked 
back  from  one  of  the  hilltops  for  a  tinal  glimpse  of 
the  lo\ed  spot,  the  day  that  the  herded  captives  started 
their  long  journey.  Round  about  he  is  drawing  forts, 
and  a  besiegers'  mound,  and  camps,  and  battering 
rams.  Now  he  sets  up  an  iron  plate  as  a  wall  between 
himself  and  the  beleaguered  city,  and  thus  protected 
from  all  defenders  he  lays  siege  against  it. 

The  prophet  has  not  spoken  a  word,  but  the  people, 
despite  themselves,  have  understood  his  sermon  and 
cannot  forget  it.  They  may  try  to  comfort  themselves 
with  the  superstitious  faith  that  Jehovah  will  not  per- 
mit his  temple  to  be  captured,  but  they  cannot  get  rid 
of  that  picture  that  keeps  rising  before  them,  Jerusalem 
hopelessly  besieged. 

Various  symbolic  acts.  During  these  opening  days 
of  his  ministry,  Ezekiel  adopted  such  devices  for  teach- 
ing the  needed  truth  that  Jerusalem  was  to  be  destroyed 
in  accordance  with  Jehovah's  will,  and  that  the  captiv- 
ity was  to  be  prolonged.  At  one  time,  lying  on  his 
side  for  days,  he  indicated  a  period  of  forty  years  for 
Judah's  captivity.  Again,  shaving  his  head  and 
beard  with  a  sharp  sword,  he  weighed  the  hair  in  three 
parts.  One  third  he  burned  in  the  fire,  one  he  smote 
with  the  sword,  and  the  last  he  scattered  to  the  wind. 
Just  a  few  hairs  he  bound  up  in  his  garment;  of  these 
he  took  out  some  and  threw  them  too  into  the  fire.  As 
the  people  watched  these  strange  acts,  Ezekiel  found 


68      GREAT  LEADERS  OF  HEBREW  HISTORY 

opportunity  to  preach  of  the  sin  of  Jerusalem  and  of 
the  coming  judgment,  when  a  third  of  the  people 
should  die  by  pestilence  and  famine,  another  third  by 
the  sword,  and  another  should  be  scattered  to  the  winds, 
pursued  by  the  sword.  Only  a  small  and  diminished 
remnant  would  be  spared. 

Important  Biblical  references:  Ezekiel  i:  1-3:  15;  Isaiah  6; 
Jeremiah  i ;  Ezekiel  3:  16-5:  17. 


CHAPTER  VIII 

EZEKIEL    AND    THE    FALL    OF    JERUSALEM 

Danger  in  misunderstanding  Jerusalem's  fall.  Dur- 
ing the  four  years  from  his  inaugural  vision  in  592 
until  the  beginning  of  the  siege  of  Jerusalem  In  588, 
Ezekiel  was  occupied  with  the  task  of  trying  to  con- 
vince the  exiles  that  Jerusalem  must  fall.  The  need 
for  driving  home  this  lesson  was  acute.  If  the  Baby- 
lonian exiles,  the  hope  for  the  future  of  Israel,  were 
unprepared  for  this  blow,  Jehovah  would  be  forgotten 
and  his  religion  of  righteousness  and  mercy  would 
perish  from  the  world  with  the  downfall  of  the  nation. 
With  the  fall  of  Nineveh  and  the  end  of  the  Assyrian 
Empire,  the  worship  of  the  dreaded  god  Asshur  was, 
as  we  noted  in  the  last  chapter,  doomed  to  oblivion. 
What  was  to  prevent  such  an  inglorious  end  for  the 
worship  of  Jehovah? 

As  we  look  back  over  the  whole  course  of  human 
history,  we  can  see  that  the  crisis  which  Ezekiel  was 
called  upon  to  meet  was  one  of  the  most  fateful  that 
has  ever  arisen.  Twelve  hundred  years  before  Eze- 
kiel's  time  Egyptian  prophets  had  seen  and  taught  the 
rudiments  of  a  religion  of  truth  and  social  justice. 
Spiritual  insight  had  advanced  in  that  gifted  people 
until  at  last  a  great  king  had  tried  to  compel  the  wor- 
ship of  only  one  god  and  to  enforce  throughout  his 

69 


70      GREAT  LEADERS  OF  HEBREW  HISTORY 

empire  a  religion  that  inculcated  the  love  of  truth  and 
mercy.  But  royal  power  cannot  enforce  truth.  The 
monotheistic  king  had  died,  and  the  priests  of  other 
gods,  with  the  willing  support  of  the  people,  had  re- 
vived the  worship  of  many  deities  whose  service  did 
not  lift  man  to  right  dealing,  truth,  and  kindness. 
Egypt  had  touched  the  skirts  of  the  one  true  God 
whose  service  is  to  do  justly,  love  mercy,  and  walk 
humbly.  Then  she  had  turned  away  and  sunk  down 
into  a  superstitious  faith  that  debased  man  to  the  level 
of  the  animal. 

Moses  caught  up  the  torch  of  truth  that  Egypt  laid 
down.  Handed  on  from  prophet  to  prophet  through 
six  centuries  of  Israel's  history,  it  had  grown  ever 
clearer  in  its  shining  until  now,  as  the  dark  night  of 
exile  fell,  the  watchman  must  hold  it  high  and  true. 
Most  of  the  people  of  Israel  led  by  the  greater  number 
of  their  priests  and  prophets  and  kings  had  struggled 
against  the  advance  of  truth,  just  as  the  men  of  Egypt 
had  done.  Quick  upon  the  death  of  the  reforming 
king  of  Egypt,  debasing  religion  came  flooding  back, 
and  never  again  did  his  nation  rise  to  a  pure  and  elevat- 
ing faith.  With  the  death  of  Josiah,  the  reforming 
king  of  Judah,  the  tide  of  evil  against  which  he  had 
raised  the  dikes,  rolled  back.  The  temple  was  pol- 
luted with  the  worship  of  other  gods.  What  faith  the 
priests,  prophets,  and  people  had  in  Jehovah  was  only 
a  superstitious  belief  that  he  must  protect  his  own 
castle;  it  was  not  a  faith  resting  in  love  and  duty. 
When  Jehovah's  stronghold  should  fall,  all  trust  in  him 
would  be  at  an  end. 


EZEKIEL  AND  THE  EAEE  OF  JERUSALEM       71 

Ezekiel's  great  truth.  It  was  the  supreme  task,  of 
Ezekiel  to  teach  the  llower  of  tlie  nation  hi  Babylonia, 
before  the  final  blow  fell,  that  Jerusalem's  destruction 
was  coming  by  Jehovah's  own  determination.  The 
capture  of  the  city  would  not  mean  that  he  could  not 
defend  his  dwelling  place,  but  that  he  was  sending 
judgment  upon  his  faithless  people.  Only  as  some 
of  his  hearers  might  learn  this  lesson  could  Israel's 
priceless  heritage  be  preserved  for  the  world. 

Cost  of  the  prophets'  faith.  The  name  of  Asshur 
might  be  forgotten,  but  other  people  than  the  Assyrians 
would  rise  in  far  distant  generations  to  honor  a  god 
thought  to  give  victory  to  his  favorites  in  wars  of  cruel 
conquest.  If  faith  in  the  God  of  Israel's  true  prophets 
had  been  lost  with  the  fall  of  his  city  and  the  scatter- 
ing of  his  worshippers,  we  do  not  like  to  contemplate 
what  the  course  of  human  history  would  have  been. 
To  build  up  the  prophets'  faith  in  a  sole,  all-ruling 
God  whose  essence  Is  righteousness  and  love  is  a  slow 
and  costly  process.  It  is  possible  only  where  for  gen- 
eration after  generation,  without  ceasing,  there  are 
men  gifted  to  know  spiritual  truth,  who  are  willing  to 
suffer  and  die  that  others  may  know  the  truth  and  live 
more  truly. 

Egypt  had  such  a  succession  of  men  for  a  few  cen- 
turies and  then  they  ceased.  Greece  had  men,  a 
Socrates,  an  i^^schylus,  who  saw  and  spoke  the  truth 
of  life,  but  it  was  not  hers  to  give  the  world  the  un- 
remitting succession  of  torch  bearers  to  pass  on  the 
flame  until  it  should  shine  forth  in  the  perfect  light 
that  lighteneth  every  man  that  cometh  into  the  world. 


72      GREAT  LEADERS  OF  HEBREW  HISTORY 

This  was  Israel's  work  to  do  and  the  time  of  Jeru- 
salem's fall  was  one  of  the  most  critical  moments  of 
the  twelve  centuries  from  Moses  to  John  the  Baptist. 

Pollution  of  the  temple.  In  the  second  year  of  his 
ministry,  Ezekiel  was  sitting  in  his  own  house  with  the 
elders  of  Judah  before  him  when  suddenly  he  found 
himself  transported,  in  the  visions  of  God,  from  far 
Babylonia  to  the  temple  in  Jerusalem.  There  at  the 
gate  of  the  inner  court,  he  saw  an  image  provoking 
to  jealousy,  but  there  also  was  the  glory  of  the  God  of 
Israel  as  he  had  seen  it  in  the  plain  of  Babylonia. 
The  Divine  voice  spoke  to  him  and  indicated  the 
abominations  practiced  in  the  very  precincts  of  the 
temple.     These  were  driving  Jehovah  from  his  house. 

In  an  inner  room  the  prophet  saw  reptiles,  beasts, 
and  idols  portrayed  upon  the  wall.  Before  these,  the 
elders  of  Israel  were  burning  incense.  By  the  north 
gate,  he  saw  women  weeping  for  Tammuz.  This  was 
a  favorite  rite  of  the  women  of  Babylonia,  based  upon 
the  nature  myth  connected  with  the  disappearance  of 
vegetation  and  fruitfulness  at  the  change  of  the  year. 
More  than  all  this,  before  the  very  door  of  the  holy 
place  of  the  temple,  between  the  porch  and  the  altar, 
five  and  twenty  men  stood  with  their  backs  toward  the 
house  of  Jehovah,  facing  the  east  and  worshipping  the 
sun.  It  was  a  strange  mixture  of  Hebrew,  Egyptian, 
and  Babylonian  worship  that  had  flooded  the  sacred 
precincts  in  the  eighteen  years  since  Josiah's  death. 

Jehovah  leaves  the  city.  Suddenly  in  the  vision, 
Jehovah,  whose  glory  had  gone  up  from  above  the 
cheru^bim  to  the  threshold  of  the  house,  called  for  the 


EZEKIEL  AND  THE  FALL  OK  JERUSALEM       73 

heavenly  guardians  of  the  city  to  go  througli  and  slay 
all  who  were  not  grieved  over  the  abominations. 
Then  the  glory  of  Jehovah  went  forth  from  the 
threshold  and  stood  above  the  cherubim  and  the  cheru- 
bim lifted  up  their  wings  and  rose  from  the  earth. 
They  left  the  city  and  stood  upon  the  Mount  of  Olives, 
above  it  to  the  cast,  but  not  until  assurance  had  been 
spoken  to  Ezekiel  that  the  faithful  of  the  exile  should 
at  last  be  restored. 

As  one  of  priestly  family,  Ezekiel  had  been  familiar 
with  conditions  at  the  temple  before  he  was  carried  to 
Babylon.  Reports,  too,  must  have  come  to  him  of  the 
present  situation.  We  saw  from  Jeremiah's  writings 
that  communication  between  the  Jews  of  Babylon  and 
Jerusalem  was  not  lacking.  Ezekiel's  purpose  was  to 
show  to  a  people  who  thought  of  Jehovah  as  limited 
to  one  place  that  his  temple  was  no  longer  the  place  of 
his  abode.  They  thought  after  the  manner  of  primi- 
tive people  who  had  not  grasped  the  spiritual  ideas  of 
the  great  prophets,  and  Ezekiel's  teaching  was  adapted 
to  their  childlike  notions.  Perhaps  they  could  get  hold 
of  the  idea  that  the  fall  of  Jerusalem  would  not  be 
the  defeat  of  Jehovah  in  his  citadel,  for  he  had  vol- 
untarily withdrawn  from  the  polluted  place. 

Prophets  of  false  hope.  Ezekiel's  difficulties  were 
not  only  with  the  blindness  of  the  mass  of  the  people. 
We  saw  in  connection  with  the  work  of  Jeremiah  that 
there  were  false  prophets  in  Babylon.  Ezekiel  had 
to  contend  against  these  pernicious  teachers.  They 
were  seeing  visions  of  peace  for  Jerusalem  when  the 
true  prophet's  insight  looked   for  destruction.     They 


74      GREAT  LEADERS  OF  HEBREW  HISTORY 

were  men  who  did  not  know  the  sure  consequences 
of  sin  and  folly,  and  rejoiced  in  a  popularity  gained 
by  a  cheap  optimism.  Women,  too,  there  were  who 
claimed  prophetic  vision  and  lulled  the  consciences  of 
those  whom  Ezekiel  would  awaken  to  repentance. 
Still  Ezekiel  commanded  a  more  respectful  hearing 
than  was  sometimes  accorded  to  the  true  prophets. 
Once  and  again  we  read  of  the  elders  coming  and  sitting 
before  him;  to  them  he  speaks  his  weighty  words  of 
warning. 

Warnings  to  the  elders.  At  one  time,  he  boldly 
accuses  the  elders  of  idolatry  and  goes  on  to  warn  them 
that  the  presence  of  a  few  righteous  men  in  a  com- 
munity cannot  stay  the  hand  of  judgment.  Though 
Noah,  Daniel,  and  Job  were  present,  they  could  deliver 
only  their  own  lives.  Yet  he  declares  that,  though 
four,  sore  judgments  are  to  come  upon  Jerusalem, 
sword,  famine,  beasts,  and  pestilence,  a  remnant  shall 
be  saved  and  added  to  the  exiles  in  Babylon.  At  an- 
other time  in  the  same  year,  when  the  elders  came  to 
inquire  of  Jehovah  and  sat  before  Ezekiel,  he  cried 
out  that  God  would  not  be  inquired  of  by  them  and 
went  on  to  tell  the  long  story  of  continual  rejection 
of  Jehovah  from  the  time  when  he  brought  the  people 
out  of  Egypt. 

The  story  of  the  eagles.  Besides  his  acted  parables, 
symbolic  visions,  and  direct  warnings  from  history  and 
present  conduct,  Ezekiel  secured  a  hearing  by  telling 
a  story  such  as  eastern  peoples  love.  He  told  them 
of  a  great  eagle  with  wide-spreading  wings  that  came  to 
Lebanon  and  cropped  off  the  top  of  a  cedar,  with  the 


EZEKIEL  AND  THE  FALL  OF  JERUSALEM       75 

uppermost,  tender  twigs,  and  set  it  in  a  city  of  mer- 
chants, and  how  this  eagle  took  the  seed  of  the  land 
and  planted  it  where  it  became  a  sturdy,  low  spread- 
ing vine.  Then  another  great  eagle  came  and  the  vine 
reached  out  to  him  that  he  might  water  it.  The  vine 
shall  be  pulled  up  and  withered  by  the  east  wind,  the 
story  teller  declares. 

What  does  this  queer  story  mean?  The  prophet 
will  tell  the  listeners.  The  cedar  top  and  twigs, 
plucked  up  and  carried  off  to  the  merchant  city,  are 
the  king  and  princes  carried  from  Jerusalem  to  Baby- 
lon. The  seed  planted  in  the  land  to  become  a  low 
speading  vine  is  Zedekiah,  the  seed-royal  left  with 
the  living  but  humbled  kingdom.  This  new  king  has 
reached  out  to  Egypt,  the  second  great  eagle,  sending 
ambassadors  and  breaking  his  oath  to  the  king  of 
Babylon.  Egypt  will  not  be  able  to  help  in  the  war 
that  the  faithless  king  is  bringing  upon  himself. 

Futility  of  help  from  Egypt.  From  Babylonia,  we 
see,  Ezekiel  was  watching  the  movements  and  the 
intrigues  of  the  nations,  just  as  Jeremiah  was  doing 
from  his  central  position  in  Jerusalem.  Like  Jere- 
miah, and  Isaiah  before  them,  Ezekiel  saw  that  Judah, 
which  had  taken  the  oath  of  allegiance  to  the  eastern 
power,  must  stand  by  it.  He  saw  that  EgA'pt,  though 
she  might  tempt  Judah  to  rebellion,  could  not  offer  ef- 
fective help  against  the  great  kingdoms  of  the  Tigris- 
Euphrates  valley.  Ezekiel  worked  as  intensely  as 
Isaiah  had  done  in  his  earlier  time,  to  convince  his 
generation  that  Egypt  was  doomed  to  failure  in  her 
plans  against  the  eastern  power. 


76      GREAT  LEADERS  OF  HEBREW  HISTORY 

A  year  after  the  siege  of  Jerusalem  had  begun, 
Ezeklel  declared  that  the  Lord  was  against  Pharaoh. 
He  pictured  this  ruler  as  the  Egyptian  crocodile  who 
should  be  drawn  out  of  his  river  with  a  great  hook  in 
his  jaws  and  be  cast,  with  all  the  fish  of  his  rivers,  into 
the  wilderness.  Those  who  have  been  to  Jehovah's 
people  a  staff  of  reed  that  broke  when  leaned  upon, 
shall  be  made  to  know  the  Lord's  power. 

Some  months  later,  the  prophet  declared  that 
Jehovah  would  support  the  arms  of  the  king  of  Baby- 
lon and  bring  destruction  upon  Egypt,  scattering  the 
people  among  the  nations.  Two  months  later,  he  ad- 
dressed Pharaoh  as  though  actually  before  him,  warn- 
ing the  Egyptian  by  the  crashing  fall  of  Assyria  what 
his  own  fate  would  be.  Again,  he  sang  a  succession 
of  dirges  over  the  Egyptian  king.  One  of  these  is  a 
weird  song  picturing  the  Egyptians  welcomed  to  the 
abode  of  the  dead  by  the  nations  that  have  already 
gone  down  to  the  pit. 

Ezekiel  and  the  beginning  of  the  siege.  In  follow- 
ing the  story  of  Ezekiel's  warnings  to  the  Babylonian 
exiles  concerning  help  from  Egypt,  we  have  been  led 
down  through  the  years  of  the  long  siege  (588-586) 
which  resulted  in  the  complete  destruction  of  Jerusalem. 
At  the  time  when  the  siege  began,  the  prophet  had 
spoken  to  the  exiles  in  a  parable,  picturing  a  great 
caldron  set  upon  a  huge  fire  with  choice  flesh  thrown 
in  to  boil  for  a  time  and  then  to  be  taken  out  as  re- 
jected. Crying,  "  Woe  to  the  bloody  city,"  he  urged 
to  heap  on  the  wood,  make  the  fire  hot  till  the  very 
bones  were  burned;  then  the  emptied  pot  itself  should 


EZEKIEL  AND  THE  FALL  OF  JERUSALEM       77 

be  burned  and  the  filthiness  of  it  melted  in  the  brass. 
In  strange  contrast  to  this  frantic  picture  of  Jeru- 
salem's siege  and  destruction,  is  the  prophet's  announce- 
ment in  the  morning  that  his  beloved  wife  is  to  die. 
At  evening  she  dies  and,  the  next  day,  the  bereaved 
husband  neither  weeps  nor  mourns.  He  is  clothed  as 
usual,  no  tears  escape  his  eyes,  and  even  his  sighs  are 
stiHed.  In  the  Orient  where  grief  for  the  dead  is  ex- 
pressed in  loud  lamentation,  beating  of  the  breast,  and 
stripping  off  the  clothing,  such  conduct  would  seem  as 
strange  as  for  a  man  in  high  position  among  us  to  go 
to  a  banquet  on  the  evening  of  his  wife's  burial  day. 
What  could  it  mean?  Was  the  prophet  mad?  The 
people  say  to  him,  "  Wilt  thou  not  tell  us  what  these 
things  are,  that  thou  doest  so?"  He  explained  that 
their  loved  sanctuary  was  to  be  profaned,  and  their 
sons  and  daughters  whom  they  had  left  behind  in  Jeru- 
salem killed.  Then  they  will  do  as  he  has  done;  with- 
out the  relief  of  weeping  and  lamenting,  they  will  pine 
away  in  their  grief. 

Important  Biblical  references:  Ezekiel  8-10;  14;  20:  1-44; 
17;  29:  1-16;  32;  24. 


CHAPTER  IX 

EZEKIEL    AND    THE    FUTURE 

Turning  point  in  Ezekiel's  ministry.  The  fall  of 
Jerusalem  in  586  B.  C.  marks  the  great  division  point 
in  Ezekiel's  life  work.  For  six  years  he  had  preached 
the  certain  destruction  of  the  city.  Isaiah  had  inter- 
preted Assyria  as  the  rod  of  smiting  in  Jehovah's  hand; 
so  Ezekiel  saw  Babylon  as  the  Lord's  scourge.  When 
the  scourge  fell  there  seems  to  have  come  to  Ezekiel 
a  great  sense  of  personal  responsibility,  like  that  which 
marked  the  opening  of  his  ministry. 

He  is  now,  perhaps,  thirty-six  years  old.  For  two 
years,  his  beloved  wife  has  been  dead.  His  grief  for 
her  has  been  tempered,  it  may  be,  by  the  reflection  that 
she  was  spared  the  anxiety  and  sorrow  of  the  two  years 
of  siege.  They  were  years  in  which  the  exiles  in  Baby- 
lon were  torn  between  hope  and  fear  for  the  loved  ones 
left  behind  in  Jerusalem  and  for  the  fate  of  the  city  and 
its  sanctuary,  in  which  their  faith  and  hope  of  return 
had  centered.  Ezekiel  himself,  in  tearless  mourning, 
had  remained  a  symbol  of  the  stupefying  grief  he  had 
foreseen  for  all. 

The  faithless  shepherds.  With  the  city's  capture 
and  destruction,  the  occasion  teaches  new  duties.  The 
watchman  must  forget  his  own  sorrow.  Alive  to  the 
new  and  different  danger,  he  must  prepare  his  people 

78 


EZEKIEL  AND  THE  FUTURE  79 

against  it.  The  hand  of  Jehovah  is  upon  him  in  the 
evening,  and  in  the  morning  the  messenger  comes  with 
the  news  of  Jerusalem's  fall.  Just  at  first  he  applies 
the  old  truth;  the  desolation  of  the  land  is  unavoidable, 
in  order  that  the  people  may  know  that  Jehovah  is. 
Then,  in  hot  indignation,  he  cries  out  against  the  rulers 
of  Israel,  shepherds  who  have  cared  for  themselves, 
but  not  for  the  sheep  of  the  flock.  With  his  strong 
feeling  of  his  own  responsibility,  he  had  a  profound 
sense  of  the  responsibility  of  the  kings  and  rulers, 
whose  care  it  should  have  been  to  provide  for  the  peo- 
ple in  their  helplessness. 

God's  purpose  life.  Now  there  come  the  new  notes 
in  Ezekiel's  teaching.  The  people  who  had  trusted 
the  temple  are  in  despair.  They  cry  out,  "  Our  trans- 
gressions and  our  sins  are  upon  us;  how  then  can  we 
live?"  Ezekiel's  answer  is  that  the  Lord  does  not 
take  pleasure  in  the  death  of  the  wicked.  His  pur- 
pose is  that  they  may  turn  from  their  evil  way  and  live. 
When  all  others  are  In  despair,  the  prophet's  message 
becomes  one  of  hope. 

Hope  for  individual.  The  Divine  shepherd.  A 
new  truth,  of  which  Jeremiah  had  caught  a  glimpse 
as  he  faced  national  ruin,  is  now  set  forth  more  fully 
by  Ezekiel,  It  is  the  blessed  truth  that  each  individual 
stands  before  Jehovah  on  his  own  account,  judged  by 
his  present  life.  If  he  turns  from  his  wickedness  and 
docs  that  which  is  right,  he  shall  live  thereby.  He 
goes  on  to  promise  that  the  Lord  Jehovah  will  take 
the  place  of  the  faithless  shepherds.  He  will  seek  out 
the  sheep   and  deliver  them  from   all  places  whither 


8o      GREAT  LEADERS  OF  HEBREW  HISTORY 

they  have  been  scattered  in  the  dark  day.  He  will 
bring  them  into  their  own  land  and  feed  them  by  the 
water  courses.  The  prophet  pictures  how  the  strong 
sheep  have  in  the  past  eaten  the  best  pasture  and  have 
trodden  down  what  they  could  not  eat;  how  they  have 
drunk  the  clear  water,  have  fouled  the  rest  with  their 
feet,  and  shouldered  away  the  weak.  When  the  Lord 
has  judged  between  sheep  and  sheep,  he  will  set  up  his 
servant  David  as  one  shepherd  over  them.  He  will  be 
their  God,  and  David  his  prince  among  them. 

The  popular  hope  and  the  prophets'  hope.  In  these 
dark  days,  when  the  exiles  feel  that  they  cannot  live 
because  their  transgressions  have  overtaken  them, 
Ezekiel  rises  above  the  present  grief  and  gives  some 
of  the  most  beautiful  glimpses  of  New  Testament  truth 
and  hope.  Even  before  the  complete  exile,  Jeremiah 
and  Ezekiel  had  looked  beyond  the  decades  in  Babylon 
to  restoration.  In  doing  so  they  had  found  it  neces- 
sary to  emphasize  the  length  of  the  exile,  in  contrast 
to  the  people's  hope  of  speedy  return.  Now  those 
same  people  had  lost  all  hope  of  return.  The  prophet 
must  try  to  lift  them  out  of  their  faithless  despair.  It 
is  the  lot  of  the  prophet,  who  sees  beneath  the  sur- 
face of  things  and  looks  beyond  the  immediate  present, 
to  declare  judgment  when  others  are  full  of  hope  and 
to  picture  hope  when  the  foolish  supports  of  their 
optimism  have  been  destroyed. 

A  popular  preacher.  Now  that  he  can  talk  of 
brighter  days  to  come,  Ezekiel  finds  himself  a  popular 
preacher.  The  people  come  in  numbers  to  hear  him. 
They  enjoy  his  discourse,  just  as  they  enjoy  good  music. 


EZEKIEL  AND  THE  FUTURE  8i 

but  what  he  says,  they  are  not  willing  to  do,  for  they 
are  wrapped  up  in  their  own  affairs.  Ezekiel  again 
resorts  to  vision  prophecy  that  arouses  the  curiosity 
of  his  hearers.  So  he  gets  his  message  at  least  into 
their  heads,  though  it  is  more  difficult  to  secure  a  real 
response  from  their  hearts  and  wills. 

The  valley  of  bones.  One  vision  was  that  of  a 
valley,  all  full  of  dry  bones.  Ezekiel  walked  about 
among  the  bones  and  was  then  bidden  to  prophesy  that 
Jehovah  would  lay  sinews  upon  them,  cover  them  with 
flesh  and  skin,  and  put  breath  in  them.  As  in  the 
vision  he  uttered  this  promise,  there  came  an  earth- 
quake, and  the  bones  came  together,  bone  to  its  bone, 
and  there  were  sinews  upon  them,  and  flesh  came  up, 
and  skin  covered  them.  Yet  they  lay  lifeless  upon  the 
ground  until  in  the  name  of  the  Lord  he  directed  the 
four  winds  to  come.  Then  breath  came,  and  they  lived 
and  stood  upon  their  feet,  an  exceeding  great  army. 
The  bones  were  the  whole  house  of  Israel,  now  dead 
in  exile.  God  will  put  his  spirit  in  them  and  they  shall 
live  and  be  restored  to  their  land. 

The  two  sticks.  The  singular  vision  was  followed 
by  one  of  Ezekiel's  acted  prophecies.  He  put  together 
two  sticks  on  which  he  had  written  words  concern- 
ing Judah  and  Joseph.  When  the  people  asked  the 
meaning,  they  learned  that  this  was  another  prophecy 
of  restoration  and  of  the  reunion  of  all  Israel  and 
Judah  under  one  king.  All  would  dwell  together  in 
the  old  land  with  the  sanctuary  In  the  midst  of  them 
forevermore.  Jehovah  dwelling  with  them  would  be 
their  God  and  they  his  people. 


82      GREAT  LEADERS  OF  HEBREW  HISTORY 

Origin  of  apocalypse.  At  another  time  the  prophet 
painted,  in  lurid  colors,  a  most  astonishing  word  pic- 
ture. This  is  especially  worth  noticing,  for  it  is  the 
first  example  of  a  kind  of  writing  that  later  became 
the  most  popular  type  of  literature  among  the  Jews 
and  was  inherited  from  them  by  the  early  Christians. 
The  best  known  examples  of  this  form  of  writing  are 
the  book  of  Daniel  in  the  Old  Testament  and  the 
book  of  Revelation  which  stands  at  the  end  of  the 
New  Testament. 

The  name  given  to  this  type  of  writing  was  the 
Greek  word  Apocalypse,  uncovering,  translated  into 
Latin-English  by  Revelation,  unveiling.  As  the  name 
indicates,  these  writings  sought  to  unveil  the  face  of 
the  future.  They  were  written  in  dark  times  of  perse- 
cution and  described  the  trials  of  Jehovah's  people  in 
strange  symbols.  Their  central  thought  was  that  the 
Lord  would  appear  and  destroy  the  persecutors  just 
when  their  complete  triumph  over  his  people  seemed 
most  certain.  This  would  force  the  world  to  recognize 
him  as  God. 

In  Ezekiel's  time,  when  the  city  and  temple  were  in 
ruins  and  the  people  scattered,  enemies  were  wont  to 
utter  the  taunting  cry,  "Where  is  now  thy  god?" 
Ezekiel  pictures  a  day  when  none  shall  make  this  sar- 
castic query.  He  sees  in  distant  vision,  after  Israel 
has  been  restored  to  her  land,  peoples  from  the  far 
north  in  the  Armenian  mountains  sweeping  down  in 
great  hordes,  an  invasion  more  terrible  than  that  of 
the  wild  Scythians  who  came  from  the  same  direc- 
tion.    Just  when  all  seems  lost,  Jehovah  smites  the 


EZEKIEL  AND  THE  FUTURE  83 

weapons  out  of  the  invaders'  hands  and  strikes  the 
forces  down  in  the  open  field,  there  to  be  a  prey  for 
the  ravenous  birds  and  beasts.  Their  shields,  bows, 
arrows,  handstaves,  and  spears,  left  upon  the  field, 
will  supply  the  cities  of  Israel  with  all  needed  firewood 
for  seven  years.  Thus  the  nations  will  know  that  the 
Lord  is  Jehovah,  the  Holy  One  in  Israel.  They  will 
know,  too,  that  he  let  his  people  be  carried  into  cap- 
tivity because  of  their  sins. 

The  apocalyptic  and  the  prophetic  idea  of  God. 
The  idea  of  God's  glory  presented  in  this  first  apoca- 
lypse falls  far  below  that  which  had  been  developed 
by  the  great  prophets  in  their  successive  visions  of  the 
Divine  nature.  It  is  true  that  they  had  seen  him  as 
King  of  kings,  God  of  the  nations  carrying  out  his 
righteous  purposes  through  men's  selfish  struggles,  but 
they  had  laid  chief  stress  upon  his  justice,  love,  and 
moral  holiness.  In  Ezekiel's  time  Jehovah  is  despised 
among  the  nations  as  too  weak  to  protect  his  own 
abode.  Nothing  but  a  spectacular  display  of  physical 
power,  the  prophet  feels,  can  lead  the  nations  to  recog- 
nize the  God  of  Israel. 

As  weakness  and  cruel  oppression  continued  to  be 
the  people's  lot  for  centuries  after  Ezekiel's  time,  they 
comforted  themselves  more  and  more  with  visions  of 
the  great  day  of  deliverance  when  God  should  at  last 
sweep  away  all  their  enemies  from  the  earth.  Domi- 
nated by  such  hopes,  the  Jews  could  not  recognize  as 
Son  of  God  one  who  expressed  in  word  and  deed  God's 
moral  character  and  power  rather  than  destructive 
physical  force. 


84      GREAT  LEADERS  OF  HEBREW  HISTORY 

Tyre  and  Egypt.  Ezekiel  continued  to  deliver  his 
message  of  hope  for  sixteen  years  after  the  destruction 
of  Jerusalem  In  586  B.  c.  He  had  the  keenest  Interest 
in  all  the  international  affairs  of  the  period.  Neb- 
uchadrezzar's thirteen  year  siege  of  the  island  city 
of  Tyre  especially  occupied  his  attention.  He  rightly 
foresaw  that  the  city  must  yield  at  last,  however  long 
it  might  hold  out.  So  he  composed  an  elaborate  elegy 
over  the  city  as  though  it  had  already  fallen.  The 
symbol  of  the  ship  of  state  has  never  been  applied 
more  appropriately,  in  all  the  centuries  since,  than  to 
Tyre  that  lay  out  In  the  sea.  For  Tyre  It  was  not 
"  Sail  on,  O  ship,"  but  the  wreck  of  the  ship  that  had 
called  herself  "  perfect  in  beauty." 

Tyre,  thou  saidst :  A  ship  am  I ;  perfect  in  beauty. 

In  the  heart  of  the  sea  is  thy  bound;  thy  builders  perfected  thy 

beauty. 
Of  cypress  from  Hermon  they  made  for  thee  all  thy  planks. 
A  cedar  from  Lebanon  they  took,  a  mast  to  form. 
Of  lofty  oaks  from  Bashan,  they  fashioned  thy  oars; 
Thy  deck,  of  ivory  with  boxwood  from  the  Cyprian  isles. 
Fine  linen  with  broidery  from  Egypt  was  thy  canvas. 
Violet  and  purple  from  the  coasts  of  Greece,  were  thy  hangings. 
The  men  of  Sidon  and  Arvad,  were  thy  oarsmen. 
Thy  own  skillful  ones,  Tyre,  were  in  thee ;  they  were  thy  pilots. 

Unto  the  high  seas  they  brought  thee,  those  rowing  thee. 
The  east  wind  shattered  thee,  in  the  heart  of  the  waters. 

In  the  description  of  the  fitting  and  the  manning  of 
the  ship,  Ezekiel  exhibits  remarkably  wide  information 
concerning  the  world's  commerce.      Rudyard  Kipling 


EZKKIKL  AND  TllK  FUTLRi:  85 

himself  shows  hardly  more  exact  and  minute  knowledge 
in  his  stories  than  this  prophet  among  the  exiles  of 
ancient  Israel. 

The  last  dated  word  of  Ezekiel  comes  from  the  time 
when  the  long  and  arduous  siege  of  Tyre  was  finished. 
The  besiegers  had  grown  bald  and  their  shoulders 
were  worn  by  the  weary  years  of  service.  The  prophet 
felt  that  the  capture  of  Tyre  was  no  reward  for  the 
great  labor  and  promised  the  conquest  of  Egypt  as  a 
recompense  to  Nebuchadrezzar.  The  necessity  of  first 
capturing  the  Phoenician  strongholds  had  delayed  the 
Babylonians  long  in  their  progress  to  western  conquest. 
Ezekiel  may  have  felt  that  Egypt's  long  immunity 
from  attack  might  lead  the  Jews  once  more  to  enter- 
tain futile  hopes  from  that  quarter.  At  any  rate,  his 
last  dated  word,  570  B.  c,  was  one  of  doom  upon 
Egypt  and  continued  power  for   Babylon. 

Two  years  earlier,  Ezekiel  had  been  occupied  with 
an  elaborate  vision  of  restored  Jerusalem.  He  had 
seen  the  temple  rebuilt,  surrounded  by  courts  and  gates, 
with  chambers  for  priests  and  singers,  the  whole  far 
surpassing  the  appurtenances  of  Solomon's  temple. 
Standing  at  the  new  eastern  gate,  he  had  beheld  the 
glory  of  the  God  of  Israel  returning  with  all  the  splen- 
did panoply  he  had  seen  at  first  by  the  river  Chebar. 
The  prophet  had  received  instructions,  too,  for  the  new 
altar  and  its  consecration,  and  for  elaborate  ordinances 
of  priests  and  Levites,  by  which  the  sanctity  of  the 
house  was  to  be  maintained  in  the  future.  These  in- 
structions provided  for  a  more  elaborate  priestly  or- 
ganization than  had  ever  been  known  before  the  exile, 


86      GREAT  LEADERS  OF  HEBREW  HISTORY 

and  they  became  one  basis  of  a  great  revision  of  Israel's 
temple  worship  that  was  finally  established  in  Ezra's 
time,  more  than  a  century  later. 

In  originating  the  apocalyptic  form  of  faith  and  in 
developing  the  priestly  worship,  Ezekiel  exercised  a 
profound  influence  on  the  future,  partly  beneficial  and 
partly  the  source  of  great  evils,  when  his  ideas  were  car- 
ried to  an  extreme  by  later  generations  which  forgot 
his  moral  teaching.  In  keeping  his  own  and  future 
generations  from  despair  in  darkest  hour,  he  played 
a  great  part  in  preserving  the  people  and  their  religion 
until  the  fullness  of  time  should  come.  Taken  all  in 
all,  it  is  probably  true  that  no  man  in  Israel's  history 
after  Moses  exercised  a  more  immediate  and  lasting 
influence  on  the  people  than  the  priest-prophet  Ezekiel. 

Important  Biblical  references:  Ezekiel  33:21-29;  34:  i-io; 
33:10^20;  34:11-31;  33:30-33;  37;  38-39;  27  (for  the 
translation  quoted  in  the  text  see,  "  History  Literature  of 
Ancient  Israel,"  pp.  244-245)  ;  29:  17-20. 


CHAPTER  X 

THE   GREAT    UNKNOWN 

About  twenty-five  years  after  Ezekiel  had  added 
the  last  word  to  his  prophecies,  one  of  the  greatest 
of  Israel's  great  prophets  began  to  sing  wonderful 
songs  of  hope  and  inspiration  to  the  dejected  exiles  in 
Babylon. 

Babylonia  twenty-five  years  after  Ezekiel.  We 
have  no  glimpses  of  the  exiles  during  these  intervening 
years.  It  was  now  fifty  years  since  the  great  com- 
pany with  which  Ezekiel  came  was  torn  from  its  native 
hills,  to  be  settled  on  the  hot  and  hopeless  plain  of 
Babylon.  Ezekiel  and  most  of  his  generation  had 
passed  away.  The  great  conqueror  Nebuchadrezzar 
had  died.  Two  asassinations  and  usurpations,  within 
six  years  after  his  death,  had  indicated  the  unstable 
character  of  th^  rule  which  Nebuchadrezzar  had  con- 
solidated. The  usurper  Nabonidus  now  sat  upon  the 
throne.  The  Go^  of  Israel  was  still  counted  unable 
to  care  for  his  chosen  people,  while  the  ancient  gods 
of  Babylonia  were  worshipped  with  more  pomp  and 
circumstance  than  ever. 

The  reigning  king  was  especially  interested  in  restor- 
ing ancient  temples  and  worship.  With  impressive 
display,  the  images  were  carried  up  the  splendid  proces- 
sion street  leading  to  the   temple  of  Marduk.     The 

87 


88      GREAT  LEADERS  OF  HEBREW  HISTORY 

sides  of  this  street  were  lined  with  walls  covered  with 
glazed  tiles,  representing  tawny  lions  on  a  rich  back- 
ground of  dark  blue.  At  the  great  Ishtar  gate  lead- 
ing to  the  temple,  the  decoration  changed  to  alternating 
rows  of  bulls  and  dragons  {siriishes).  Marduk  had 
given  world  power  to  his  city  eight  hundred  years  be- 
fore Moses  led  the  enslaved  tribes  out  of  Egypt  to  cove- 
nant with  Jehovah  at  Sinai.  Now  the  city  of  his 
ancient  care  had  for  two  generations,  been  enjoying  its 
greatest  wealth  and  power. 

Nabonidus  was  not  satisfied  with  worshipping  merely 
the  city  deity  of  Babylon.  He  was  busily  engaged  in 
excavating  the  sites  of  ancient  temples  and  in  bringing 
the  images  of  deities  of  still  more  ancient  fame  than 
Marduk  into  the  great  capital  city  which  Nebuchad- 
rezzar had  brought  to  such  splendor.  It  is  not  to  be 
wondered  at  that  many  of  the  Jews  in  Babylon  had 
come  to  the  conclusion  that  their  God  could  never  de- 
liver them  from  the  power  of  these  deities.  It  is  not 
strange  either  that  most  of  the  younger  generation  who 
knew  nothing  of  the  old  Judean  home,  except  as  a  tradi- 
tion of  their  elders,  felt  no  great  longing  to  leave  the 
busy  life  in  which  they  had  grown  up,  and  to  go  to  the 
long  devastated  mountains  of  Palestine. 

A  new  voice.  Suddenly,  at  the  end  of  the  half  cen- 
tury of  exile,  there  is  heard  the  voice  of  a  great  singer. 
He  calls  himself  simply  a  "  voice  "  and  we  call  him 
"  the  great  unknown."  We  know  neither  his  name, 
nor  his  father's  name,  nor  the  facts  of  his  personal 
history.  Like  the  man  with  the  iron  mask,  his  identity 
is  a  mystery,  but  his  spirit  and  his  voice  are  the  noblest 


The  Dragon   (Sirush)   of  the  Ishtar  Gate 


The    Lion    of    the    Procession    Street 


THE  GREAT  UNKNOWN  89 

and  the  sweetest  that  we  may  hear  calling  across  the 
centuries  from  the  distant  past. 

Nahamu,  nahamu,  ainmi 
Dabbcru,  'al-lebh  Yerushalayim 
Comfort  ye,  comfort  ye  my  people, 
Speak  unto  the  heart  of  Jerusalem, 

he  sings  and  suddenly  there  seems  a  chorus  of  voices. 
One  cries, 

Prepare  j^e  in  the  wilderness  the  way  of  Jehovah ; 
Make  level  in  the  desert  a  highway  for  our  God. 

Another  cries, 

All  flesh  is  grass, 

And  all  its  glory  as  the  flower  of  the  field. 

Grass  withers,  flower  fades; 

But  the  word  of  our  God  shall  stand  forever. 

Another  brings  good  tidings  to  Jerusalem  that  Jehovah 
will  shepherd  his  flock  there. 

Now  the  song  rises  to  great  heights  and  we  have 
unfolded  before  us  the  sovereignty  and  omnipotence 
of  the  God  of  Israel  who  measured  the  seas,  the 
heavens,  and  the  earth  in  his  hand;  before  whom  all 
the  nations  are  nothing.  In  scorn  the  singer  contrasts 
the  gods  whose  likenesses  are  fashioned  by  the  work- 
man with  him  who  sitteth  above  the  circle  of  the  earth, 
who  bringeth  out  all  the  stars.  Then  he  turns  to  the 
discouraged  people  who  feel  that  their  God  is  indif- 
ferent to  them,  to  assure  them  that  the  creator  of  the 
ends  of  the  earth  giveth  power  to  the  faint;  that  they 


oo      GREAT  LEADERS  OF  HEBREW  HISTORY 

who  xrait  for  Jehovah  shall  renew  their  strength  and 
mount  as  with  eagle's  wings. 

The  deliverer.  As  the  song  continues,  we  catch  a 
glimpse  oi  the  one  in  whose  opening  career  the  prophet 
sees  the  coming  deliverer  for  his  fellow  exiles.  It  is 
Cyrus,  king  of  Persia,  who,  in  the  year  549  B.  C,  united 
to  his  little  kingdom  east  ot  Babylon  the  hordes  of 
the  Medes,  old  allies  of  Nebuchadrezzar  and  his  father 
Xabopolasser.  Cyrus  is  the  one  from  the  east  whom 
God  calls  and  before  whom  he  makes  the  nations  as 
dust  and  driven  stubble.  He  is  the  shepherd  who  shall 
perform  all  God's  pleasure,  even  saying  to  Jerusalem, 
**  She  shall  be  built,"  Him  has  Jehovah  anointed  to 
subdue  nations  before  him. 

Cyrus's  rapid  rise.  Rarely  if  ever  in  human  his  to  rv" 
has  the  ruler  ci  a  tiny  kingdom  become  the  head  of  a 
great  empire  in  so  short  a  time  as  Cyrus.  The  ten 
vears  from  5^0  to  540  B.  C.  saw  him  unite  the  Median 
empire  to  his  own  kingdom  and  then,  with  the  united 
armies,  conquer  Asia  Minor  to  the  .-Egean  Sea,  both 
the  Lvdian  kingdom  of  Cra&sus  and  the  free  Ionian 
cities  of  the  coast.  In  the  midst  of  this  fateful  decade, 
a  Persian  army  seems  to  have  made  an  incursion  into 
southern  Babylonia  and  to  have  gained  permanent  foot- 
hold there. 

It  was  during  these  years  when  the  one  from  the 
east  was  thus  making  the  ends  of  the  earth  tremble. 
that  the  voice  of  the  unknown  prophet  was  heard 
among  the  exiles  of  Babylonia.  With  full  faith  in 
Jehovah  as  God  of  nations,  he  saw  in  Cyrus  the  ap- 


THE  GREAT  UNKNOWN  oi 

pointed  deliverer,  at  a  time  when  the  gods  of  Babylon 
still  seemed  all  powerful  to  the  other  exiles. 

Attack  upon  Babylonian  polytheism.  It  is  quite 
probable  that  Cyrus  was  a  follower  of  Zoroaster  and, 
if  so,  he  acknowledged  only  one  supreme  god,  the  god 
of  heaven.  Perhaps  the  unnamed  Hebrew  prophet 
knew  of  this  and  counted  Cyrus  as  really  an  adherent 
of  the  one  true  God  whom  Israel  had  long  worshipped, 
although  Cyrus  knew  him  under  another  name,  Ahma 
Mazdah.  The  time  was  favorable  for  showing  the 
folly  of  polytheism  with  its  imaged  deities,  and  the 
Hebrew  prophet  cast  most  scathing  ridicule  upon  the 
Babylonian  idols.  He  pictured  the  carpenter  cutting 
down  a  tree,  using  part  of  the  wood  to  warm  him- 
self, part  to  cook  his  dinner,  and  out  of  what  was 
left  making  a  graven  image.  He  had  watched  the 
Babylonian  sacred  processions  in  which  the  images 
of  the  deities  were  carried  on  the  backs  of  cattle  or 
the  shoulders  of  men.  He  sarcastically  contrasted 
their  helplessness  with  the  God  of  Israel  who  had 
carried  his  people  from  their  childhood  when  he 
brought  them  out  of  Egypt.  In  this  land  of  star- 
gazers,  he  constantly  refers  to  the  God  who  had  created 
the  heavens  and  stretched  them  forth.  The  one  who 
made  heaven  and  earth  also  fashioned  Israel  his  serv- 
ant, and  he  will  redeem ;  he  has  blotted  out  their  trans- 
gressions. 

Coming  fall  of  Babylon.  In  another  song,  he  pic- 
tures Babylon  as  a  delicately  nurtured,  royal  lady,  who 
must  leave  her  throne  and  sit  on  the  ground  like  any 


92      GREAT  LEADERS  OF  HEBREW  HISTORY 

poor  woman  of  the  East,  turning  the  millstone  to  grind 
the  family  flour  or,  stripped  of  her  royal  apparel,  must 
flee  through  the  turbulent  river,  trying  to  escape  her 
enemies.  Queen  Babylonia  had  been  permitted  to  lord 
it  over  Jehovah's  people  because  of  their  sins.  In  her 
proud  arrogance,  she  had  shown  no  mercy,  and  now 
sudden  desolation  was  to  come  upon  her. 

God's  power  and  purpose.  With  such  stirring 
oracles  the  prophet  sought  to  rouse  his  fellow  exiles 
to  the  approaching  fall  of  Babylon  and  to  prepare  them 
to  interpret  it  as  the  righteous  act  of  their  fathers' 
God.  He  goes  on  to  give  even  clearer  assurance  of 
God's  power  and  purpose  to  restore  his  people  and 
breaks  forth  into  exulting  songs  of  coming  restoration. 
As  once  God  pierced  that  great  monster  Egypt  and 
dried  up  the  Red  Sea  before  Israel,  so  now  the  ran- 
somed of  Jehovah  shall  come  joyously  to  Jerusalem's 
mountain.  The  poet  knows  that  the  people  are  all 
too  poorly  prepared  for  a  real  return  and  upbuilding 
of  the  true  Jerusalem  as  a  city  of  righteousness,  and 
he  urges  them  to  seek  Jehovah  by  reforming  their  con- 
duct. 

The  servant.  Running  through  these  songs  as  a 
thread  of  gold,  there  is  a  series  of  passages  concerning 
Jehovah's  servant.  At  first  the  servant  is  Israel,  then 
it  is  the  loyal  portion  of  Israel,  that  is  to  save  the 
nation  and,  beyond  this,  is  to  be  a  light  to  the  gentiles. 
Next  the  servant  seems  to  be  an  individual,  one  whose 
visage  is  marred  and  who  is  despised  and  rejected  of 
men,  a  man  of  sorrows  and  acquainted  with  grief.  It 
was  the  griefs  and  sorrows  of  others  that  he  bore;  by 


THE  GREAT  UNKNOWN  93 

his  stripes  they  are  healed.  His  soul  suffers  pain, 
but  is  satisfied  when  he  makes  many  righteous. 

What  can  it  all  mean?  It  is  a  picturing  of  one  of 
the  greatest  truths  of  human  life.  It  is  a  picture  of 
the  experience  of  the  prophets  of  Israel.  They  were 
servants  of  God.  They  were  despised  and  rejected, 
sometimes  slain.  Through  their  stripes  Israel  was 
healed.  Without  them  her  life  would  have  been  only 
that  of  a  little  group  of  tribes,  much  like  many  another. 
Jeremiah  in  particular,  he  who  suffered  such  tortures 
for  his  faith  and  sorrowed  so  for  the  blindness  of  his 
people,  might  have  been  the  original  for  this  great  por- 
trait of  the  suffering  servant.  When  the  nation  went 
into  exile,  those  who  were  loyal  to  their  God  found 
it  very  hard  to  hear  their  enemies'  taunt,  "  Where  is 
now  thy  God?"  Those  who  were  loyal  patriots  sat 
and  wept  by  the  rivers  of  Babylon.  The  disloyal  and 
careless  part  of  the  nation  soon  settled  down  there  and 
ceased  to  think  much  of  their  God  or  their  land.  The 
loyal  portion  of  the  people  was  the  servant  through 
whom  Jacob  was  saved  and  Israel's  light  shone  out  for 
the  gentiles. 

Out  of  the  night  of  exile  came  these  songs  of  the 
suffering  servant  and  then  the  voice  of  the  singer  was 
stilled.  No  one  of  Israel's  later  writers  saw  that  this 
was  the  road  of  salvation;  they  dreamed  instead,  as 
Ezekiel  had  done,  of  a  time  when  the  nation's  enemies 
should  meet  bloody  death;  and  Jerusalem  should  be 
the  center  of  a  great  earthly  power. 

Five  hundred  years  passed  by  and  then  there  was 
one  born  at  Bethlehem  w^ho  knew  that,  only  as  he  went 


94      GREAT  LEADERS  OF  HEBREW  HISTORY 

up  to  Jerusalem  and  there  suffered  many  things  and 
was  rejected  and  put  to  death,  could  he  bring  salva- 
tion to  men.  In  him  the  truth  which  the  poet  had 
seen  in  such  fleeting,  baffling  pictures  was  complete. 
The  cross  which  had  been  the  symbol  of  punishment 
became  for  all  ages  the  symbol  of  hope. 

The  truth  is  perfectly  fulfilled  in  our  Lord  Jesus 
Christ,  but  it  may  be  seen  in  part  in  all  who  have  been 
willing  to  suffer  for  others.  The  pages  of  history  are 
written  over  with  the  truth  that  men  who  have  greatly 
advanced  civilization  have  been  despised  and  rejected 
of  men,  men  of  sorrows  and  acquainted  with  grief. 
Such  have  been  the  great  thinkers  and  scientists.  They 
have  been  persecuted  by  men  who  did  not  want  new 
truth.  Cross  bearers,  too,  have  been  the  myriads  who 
have  faced  death  willingly  to  overthrow  despots  and 
make  men  free. 

One  voice  or  several.  The  unnamed  prophet  who 
wrote  the  songs  of  the  servant  in  the  sixth  century 
before  Christ  was  one  of  the  greatest  poets  and  seers 
of  all  ages  and  all  races.  Whether  he  was  the  same 
as  the  sweet  singer  of  the  songs  of  comfort  and  hope 
or  whether  there  was  really  more  than  one  voice  in  the 
songs  that  make  up  chapters  40  to  55  of  our  book  of 
Isaiah  we  cannot  say.  Perhaps  there  was  a  little  group 
of  poet  prophets  among  the  exiles  during  the  years 
when  Cyrus  was  preparing  Babylon's  downfall. 

Chapters  56-66.  Chapters  56  to  66  of  the  book  of 
Isaiah  were  probably  written  after  the  fall  of  Babylon 
and  may  well  have  been  composed  by  a  different  hand 
or  hands  from  chapters  40  to  SS-     One  of  the  most 


THE  GREAT  UNKNOWN  95 

beautiful  passages  from  this  latter  section  of  the  book, 
and  indeed  from  the  entire  Old  Testament,  was  that 
read  by  Jesus  when  he  visited  his  boyhood  home  and 
spoke  in  the  Nazareth  synagogue  among  his  old  neigh- 
bors. 

Jesus  and  Isaiah  40-66.  It  is  clear  from  the  Gospel 
story  that  the  entire  collection  of  oracles  which  was  ap- 
pended to  the  earlier  book  of  Isaiah,  that  closed  at 
Chapter  39,  was  ever  present  in  the  thought  of  Jesus 
the  Christ.  They  must  have  been  read  over  and  over 
and  deeply  pondered  by  him  in  his  youth  among  the 
Galilean  hills.  Such  a  vision  as  that  at  the  beginning 
of  Chapter  60  must  have  made  the  heart  of  the  youth- 
ful Jesus  beat  high: 

Arise,  shine ;  for  thy  light  is  come, 

And  the  glory  of  Jehovah  is  risen  upon  thee. 
For,  behold,  darkness  shall  cover  the  earth, 

And  gross  darkness  the  peoples; 
But  Jehovah  will  arise  upon  thee. 

And  his  glory  shall  be  seen  upon  thee. 
And  nations  shall  come  to  thy  light. 

And  kings  to  the  brightness  of  thy  rising. 

Darkness,  gross  darkness  rested  upon  the  earth  when 
that  oracle  was  written,  and,  in  Jesus'  time,  darkness 
had  settled  black.  He  was  to' bring  the  message  that 
God  is  light,  and  in  him  is  no  darkness  at  all. 

Important  Biblical  references:  Isaiah  40;  44:24-45:7;  44: 
1-23;  46;  42:  5-9 147;  51:9-16;  56:6-13:42:  1-9,49:  1-13; 
50:4-11,  52:  13-53:  12;  61:  1-3,  Luke  4:  16-22. 


CHAPTER  XI 

HAGGAI,    A    PRACTICAL    MAN 

Policy  of  Cyrus.  Babylon,  already  outflanked  by 
the  conquests  of  Cyrus,  surrendered,  almost  without  a 
struggle,  in  the  year  538  B.  c.  In  many  respects  the 
conqueror  fulfilled  the  hopes  of  the  Great  Unknown. 
Instead  of  the  Assyrian  policy  of  deportation  and  for- 
cible intermingling  to  destroy  the  national  life  of  con- 
quered peoples,  he  permitted  separate  nationalities  to 
retain  their  own  customs.  If  they  had  been  deported 
and  their  places  of  worship  destroyed,  he  allowed  them 
to  return  to  their  own  lands  and  rebuild  the  sanctuaries 
of  their  own  gods.  Well  did  the  unnamed  prophet 
style  such  an  one  Jehovah's  anointed.  Few  men  in 
all  the  world's  history  have  taken  such  an  advance 
step  in  bringing  in  the  kingdom  of  God  on  earth.  In 
later  centuries  Rome  followed  a  somewhat  similar 
policy,  but,  when  the  Roman  emperors  demanded  that 
subject  peoples  should  add  emperor  worship  to  their 
national  religions,  they  took  a  step  backward  from  the 
larger  vision  of  Cyrus  the  Persian. 

Opportunity  to  return.  Lack  of  desire.  With  the 
fall  of  Babylon  then,  the  opportunity  was  open  for  the 
Jewish  exiles  to  return  and  rebuild  Jerusalem,  but  even 
the  great  songs  of  the  Unknown  and  the  earlier  pre- 
dictions of  Jeremiah  and  Ezekiel  had  failed  to  enkindle 
the  needed  spirit  in  the  greater  part  of  the  people. 

96 


HAGGAI,  A  PRACTICAL  MAxN  97 

The  exiles  of  597  had  been  eager  to  get  back  while 
the  city  stood  and  relatives  and  friends  still  called  them, 
but  nearly  sixty  years  have  passed  since  that  first  and 
greatest  deportation  to  Babylon.  Pew  arc  living  of 
that  company  except  those  who  were  then  very  young 
and  now  even  they  are  too  old  for  nine  hundred  miles 
on  foot,  followed  by  the  hard  struggle  of  rebuilding 
Jerusalem  and  replanting  the  desolated  fields  and 
vineyards.  The  first  children  born  in  Babylon  are 
elderly  men  and  women.  The  young  people  of  the 
usual  age  tor  migration  and  establishing  homes  in  a 
distant  region  are  the  children  of  those  born  in  Baby- 
Ion.  To  them  Judea  is  a  tradition  of  the  grdndfather's 
home,  way  across  the  great  desert.  In  the  new  empire, 
they  enjoy  similar  rights  with  their  Babylonian  neigh- 
bors, also  now  a  subject  nationality.  In  Judea,  they 
would  not  be  independent;  they  would  be  a  part  of  the 
same  empire.     Why  return? 

Opportunity  in  Babylon.  Long  before  this  they 
must  have  found  a  place  in  the  industrial  life  of  a 
region  rich  in  agriculture  and  commerce.  We  have 
evidence  that,  at  a  somewhat  later  date,  the  Jews  took 
prominent  part  in  the  business  of  that  portion  of  the 
Persian  empire.  Business  documents  unearthed  there 
in  recent  years  show  many  Jewish  names,  just  as  a 
miscellaneous  collection  of  business  letters,  accounts, 
contracts,  and  bills  in  an  American  city  to-day  would 
show  the  activities  of  the  Jews  in  our  business  life. 
Babylonia  under  Persian  rule  offered  free  opportunity 
for  this  people  to  develop  its  dangerous  instinct  for 
financial  affairs. 


98      GREAT  LEADERS  OF  HEBREW  HISTORY 

Return  of  small  company.  Free  to  move  about  the 
Persian  empire  and  settle  where  they  could  find  an 
opening,  some  traveled  eastward.  In  the  next  century 
we  find  a  Jew  at  the  Persian  capital  as  trusted  officer 
of  the  emperor.  Of  him  we  shall  read  later.  Some 
traveled  westward.  Soon  there  was  a  company  of  re- 
turned exiles  back  in  the  mountains  of  Judea.  His- 
torians are  pretty  generally  agreed  to-day  that  this 
band  was  not  so  large  as  used  to  be  supposed,  but  it 
was  important.  At  its  head  was  Zerubbabel,  grandson 
of  Jehoiachin,  the  exile  king  of  597.  In  accordance 
with  Cyrus's  liberal  policy,  this  prince  of  the  house  of 
David  had  been  appointed  local  governor  of  Judea. 
With  him  was  Joshua  of  the  line  of  Aaron,  recognized 
as  chief  priest.  With  these  leaders  no  doubt  there 
was  quite  a  company,  but  it  seems  that  the  rebuilding 
of  the  houses  of  Jerusalem  was  chiefly  done  by  the 
people  of  the  land,  who  had  been  left  behind  of  the 
exile  or  had  earlier  come  back  from  Egypt,  whither 
they  or  their  fathers  had  fled  in  the  days  of  destruc- 
tion. 

Altar  rebuilt.  Changes  in  Persian  government. 
Before  any  real  attempt  was  made  to  rebuild  the 
temple,  the  altar  was  no  doubt  reconstructed  on  the 
ancient  sacred  rock  where  it  had  stood  in  the  forecourt 
of  Solomon's  temple.  It  was  some  eighteen  years  after 
Cyrus's  capture  of  Babylon  before  any  effective  attempt 
was  made  to  rebuild  the  temple  itself.  During  this 
time  Cyrus  had  died,  his  son  Cambyses  had  marched 
through  Palestine  to  the  conquest  of  Egypt,  a  usurper 
had  arisen  in  Persia  claiming  to  be  the  true  heir  to 


HAGGAI,  A  PRACTICAL  MAN  99 

the  throne,  Cambyses  had  killed  himself  on  the  way 
back  from  Kgypt,  the  nobles  had  killed  the  usurper  in 
Persia,  and  one  of  their  number  had  been  made  em- 
peror. The  first  years  of  this  new  ruler,  Darius,  were 
marked  by  revolts  in  many  parts  of  the  vast  territories 
that  Cyrus  had  subjugated. 

Conditions  in  Jerusalem.  The  ruins  of  Jerusalem, 
high  up  on  the  mountain  ridge  away  from  the  route  of 
Cambyses  and  far  from  the  centers  of  rebellion  against 
Darius  had  been  the  scene  of  quiet  activity,  as  the 
returned  exiles  and  the  people  of  the  land  reared  again 
houses  amid  the  fallen  and  overgrown  debris. 

It  was  in  the  second  year  of  Darius's  rule  that  one 
of  the  men  in  Judea  named  Haggai  became  deeply 
moved  by  the  fact  that  the  people  were  rebuilding  their 
private  houses  but  not  the  house  of  Jehovah.  In  the 
early  fall,  when  the  grain  of  the  harvest  was  being 
threshed  and  the  time  for  the  old  joyous  feast  of  the 
ingathering  of  the  grapes  was  approaching,  Haggai 
addressed  the  people.  The  crops  were  small.  Where 
they  had  looked  for  much  grain  their  planting  had  pro- 
duced little.  When  they  threshed  the  grain  that  they 
had  brought  home,  it  proved  to  be  mostly  chaff,  to  be 
blown  away  by  the  wind  of  the  threshing  floor.  The 
dews,  counted  upon  to  mature  the  precious  grape  crop 
during  the  long  rainless  summer,  have  been  lacking. 
Through  a  great  drought,  grain,  new  wine,  oil,  and 
pasturage  for  the  cattle  have  all  suffered. 

Haggai's  interpretation.  To  Haggai,  a  simple, 
direct  soul,  all  such  experiences  seemed  the  immediate 
judgment  of  God  upon  the  people  because  they  had 


loo      GREAT  LEADERS  OF  HEBREW  HISTORY 

built  themselves  ceiled  houses  and  had  not  undertaken 
in  earnest  the  erection  of  Jehovah's  house.  He  is  a 
practical  man  who  sees  the  thing  that  needs  to  be  done 
next  and  goes  to  work  in  the  most  effective  way  to  get 
it  done.  When  the  people  are  discouraged  because 
of  the  poor  quality  of  their  grain  crop  and  because 
their  vines  are  filling  out  few  and  small  clusters,  he 
seizes  the  opportunity  of  the  new  moon  festival  in 
September  to  appeal  to  the  Governor,  the  Chief  Priest, 
and  the  people,  declaring  that  their  misfortunes  are 
due  to  their  failure  to  build  Jehovah's  house  while  pro- 
viding ceiled  houses  for  themselves.  His  message 
roused  instant  fear,  but  he  also  spoke  hope  to  the 
people  assuring  them  that  God  was  with  them. 

Temple  begun.  Three  weeks  after  Haggai's  first 
speaking.  Governor,  High  Priest,  and  people  all  united 
in  starting  the  work.  For  a  month  the  work  went  for- 
ward. The  great  stones  of  the  old  temple  were  still 
there,  though  in  desolate  confusion,  as  they  had  been 
tumbled  down  in  Nebuchadrezzar's  destruction  of  the 
city,  sixty-six  years  before.  There  were  old  men  in  the 
city  who  had  seen  the  former  temple.  They  were 
quite  too  old  to  do  much  of  the  hard  work  of  clean- 
ing away  the  rubbish  and  moving  the  great  stones  into 
place,  but  they  liked  to  stand  around  and  recall  the 
glory  of  the  old  building  which  the  present  workmen 
could  not  remember. 

The  practical  Haggai  saw  that  this  would  soon  dis- 
courage the  builders  and  promptly  met  the  situation. 
It  was  the  21st  day  of  the  7th  month,  the  sixth  day 
of  the  week's  camping  out  in  the  vineyards  for  the 


HAGGAI,  A  PRACTICAL  MAN  loi 

vintage  festival,  known  as  the  Feast  of  Tabernacles. 
How  far  the  people  were  keeping  the  festival  we  do 
not  know,  but,  if  their  grape  crop  amounted  to  any- 
thing they  must  have  interrupted  their  building  opera- 
tions somewhat,  in  order  to  stay  out  in  the  vineyards 
to  guard  and  to  gather  the  fruit.  The  occasion  was 
Haggai's  opportunity  to  speak  to  Zerubbabel,  Joshua, 
and  the  people. 

Promises  for  future.  He  frankly  admitted  that  the 
present  house  must  seem  like  nothing  to  those  who 
could  remember  the  former.  Then  he  appealed  to 
the  Governor,  the  High  Priest,  and  all  the  people  of 
the  land  to  be  strong  and  to  work,  sure  that  God  was 
with  them  and  would  keep  the  covenant  made  at  Sinai. 
He  went  on  to  promise  that  Jehovah  would  soon 
shake  the  heavens,  the  earth,  the  sea,  and  the  dry  land, 
and  the  precious  things  of  all  nations  would  come,  and 
he  would  fill  the  house  with  glory.  The  silver  and 
the  gold  were  his  and  the  latter  glory  of  the  house 
would  be  greater  than  the  former.  There  he  would 
give  peace. 

Haggai  appealed  to  motives  that  would  get  the  men 
to  work.  If  he  meant  literally  that  the  magnificence  of 
the  new  temple  in  silver  and  gold  would  exceed  that  of 
Solomon,  his  prediction  was  to  be  long  disappointed. 
Nothing  of  that  sort  happened  until  just  five  hundred 
years  later  when  King  Herod  began  to  rebuild  the 
temple  on  a  most  magnificent  scale.  Some  sixty  years 
after  Haggai's  promises  we  shall  find  that  the  people 
have  lost  almost  all  respect  for  the  temple  worship  — 
the  precious  things  of  the  nations  in  the  way  of  silver 


I02      GREAT  LEADERS  OF  HEBREW  HISTORY 

and  gold  have  not  come.  The  practical  man  Haggai 
got  the  immediate  work  done,  but  he  left  some  hard 
problems  for  later  leaders  to  deal  with. 

Purification  through  temple.  Zerubbabel  to  be 
Jehovah's  signet.  Two  months  more  passed  and  the 
prophet  found  a  new  way  to  stimulate  the  builders. 
He  asked  certain  questions  of  the  priests  about  cere- 
monial cleanness  and  uncleanness  and  used  their  an- 
swers to  show  that  the  people  were  ceremonially  un- 
clean and  declared  that  this  accounted  for  their  mis- 
fortunes. Apparently  his  thought  was  that  when  the 
temple  should  be  rebuilt  they  could  purify  themselves. 

On  the  same  day,  Haggai  addressed  Zerubbabel  the 
Governor,  promising  the  overthrow  of  kingdoms  when 
the  chariots  and  those  who  ride  in  them,  the  horses 
and  their  riders  should  be  brought  down,  every  one 
by  the  sword  of  his  brother.  In  that  day,  Haggai 
assured  Zerubbabel,  Jehovah  would  take  him,  his  serv- 
ant, and  make  him  as  a  signet,  because  he  had  chosen 
him.  With  this  brief  promise  to  Zerubbabel  the  words 
of  Haggai  end. 

The  promise  was  a  dangerous  one  to  make  if  it 
should  come  to  the  ears  of  the  Persian  overlords, 
for  it  implied  hopes  for  the  overthrow  of  the  Persian 
rule  and  that  Zerubbabel  might  be  the  new  David 
by  whom  Jehovah  would  seal  promises  such  as  Ezekiel 
had  given  for  a  great,  impressive  victory. 

We  have  other  indications,  at  about  this  time,  that 
the  rebuilding  of  the  temple  led  to  hopes  of  the  speedy 
establishment  of  the  Messianic  age,  when  a  new  David 
should  rule  a  restored  Israel.     Haggai  gives  only  a 


HAGGAI,  A  PRACTICAL  MAN  103 

hint  of  this,  though  a  pretty  clear  one,  and  then  his 
preaching  ceases,  only  twelve  weeks  after  the  work  of 
rebuilding  the  temple  was  begun.  At  least,  no  further 
words  of  his  have  been  preserved. 

Two  short  statements  in  the  book  of  Ezra  inform 
us  that  Haggai's  prophesying,  together  with  that  of 
Zechariah,  was  followed  by  building  activity  on  the 
part  of  Zerubbabel  and  Joshua,  that  the  elders  of  the 
Jews  builded  and  prospered  through  the  prophesying 
of  Haggai  and  Zechariah,  and  that  they  carried  the 
work  to  completion  in  four  years'  time. 

Brevity  of  Haggai's  ministry.  Why  Haggai  did 
not  continue  to  encourage  the  builders  beyond  the  first 
three  months  of  their  work  we  cannot  tell.  Some 
have  thought  that  he  himself  was  one  of  the  old  men 
who  had  seen  the  former  house  in  its  glory  and  that 
he  did  not  long  survive  the  beginning  of  the  rebuilding. 
Perhaps  this  is  the  case;  if  so,  Haggai  is  a  fine  example 
of  the  sturdy,  brave  old  men,  some  of  whom  arise  in 
every  generation  to  put  the  young  men  to  shame  by 
their  courage  and  hope  in  the  undertaking  of  big  and 
hard  things.  Whether  an  old  man  or  in  the  prime 
of  life  we  cannot  tell.  At  any  rate,  the  brief  words 
we  have  from  Haggai  show  us  a  brave  and  enthusiastic 
man  who  knows  how  to  influence  others  and  get  things 
done. 

Not  a  great  prophet.  As  the  true  prophets  are 
wont  to  do,  Haggai  sees  the  present  need  and  looks 
forward  to  a  better  future,  if  only  he  can  rouse  the 
men  of  his  day  to  do  their  duty.  Unlike  the  great 
prophets,  he  does  not  see  new  truth  about  God  and 


I04      GREAT  LEADERS  OF  HEBREW  HISTORY 

man;  he  has  not  even  learned  the  highest  truths  of  the 
greater  prophets  who  have  preceded  him.  Nor  Is  he 
a  man  Hke  them  gifted  with  the  genius  of  orator  and 
poet.  He  Is  rather  of  the  plain  business  man  type, 
whose  words  are  few  and  to  the  point,  who  does  not 
see  much  beneath  the  surface  of  life,  but  who  does  see 
the  thing  that  needs  to  be  done  next  and  gets  It  started 
Significance  of  second  temple.  The  rude  reproduc- 
tion of  Solomon's  beautifully  finished  and  adorned 
temple,  which  Haggai  started,  stood  for  full  five 
hundred  years,  a  century  longer  than  Its  predecessor. 
Through  generation  after  generation  of  subjection  and 
disappointment,  the  temple  remained  almost  always 
the  center  of  the  restored  community  of  Judea.  In 
time  Its  service  became  regularly  established  and  sup- 
ported by  a  small  tax  paid  by  each  faithful  Jew.  For 
a  short  time,  a  cruel  oppressor  stopped  the  worship 
and  polluted  the  sacred  place  with  ceremonial  and 
moral  abominations,  but  the  loyal  Jews  rallying  and 
fighting  desperately  drove  out  the  oppressor.  Then 
they  reverently  cleansed  their  sanctuary  and  there  re- 
newed their  worship  of  a  God  not  made  with  hands, 
eternal  in  the  heavens.  As  we  go  on  to  read  the 
story  of  the  men  who  strove  to  keep  this  worship  pure, 
through  long,  dark  centuries,  we  may  conclude  that 
Haggai  was  not  far  beyond  the  mark  when  he  promised 
a  latter  glory  of  this  temple  greater  than  the  former. 

Important   Biblical   references:   Haggai    1-2;   Ezra   5:1-2; 
6:14-15. 


CHAPTER  XII 

ZECHARIAH,    A    SEER    OF    VISIONS 

Zechariah's  connection  with  Haggai.  In  the  nar- 
rative account  of  rebuilding  the  temple,  given  in  the 
book  of  Ezra,  we  found  the  name  of  Zechariah  coupled 
with  that  of  Haggai  in  the  work  of  rousing  and  guid- 
ing the  rulers  and  people.  The  book  of  Zechariah  it- 
self dates  this  prophet's  activity  as  beginning  full  two 
months  after  Haggai  had  stirred  all  so  deeply  by  his 
appeal.  The  work  had  been  started,  the  workers  had 
had  time  to  get  discouraged,  and  Haggai  had  aroused 
them  to  renewed  effort  before  the  date  of  Zechariah's 
earliest  vision. 

It  was  in  November,  520  b.  c,  that  this  new  prophet 
received  his  inner  commission  to  speak  and  to  warn  his 
countrymen  by  the  fate  of  the  fathers  who  had  failed 
to  heed  the  former  prophets.  The  following  month, 
Haggai  was  speaking  again,  warning  the  people  of 
their  uncleanness  and  making  his  startling  prophecy  to 
Zerubbabel  as  the  Davidic  prince.  It  was  a  month 
after  the  last  words  of  Haggai  that  Zechariah's  char- 
acteristic prophecies  were  given.  These  consist  of  a 
series  of  symbolic  visions  reminding  one  of  Ezekiel's 
manner,  yet  they  are  no  mere  reproduction  of  his 
thought  and  imagery. 

Vision  of  horsemen.     Zechariah's  visions  are  seen 

105 


io6      GREAT  LEADERS  OF  HEBREW  HISTORY 

by  night  and  are  interpreted  to  him  by  angels,  as 
Ezekiel's  often  were.  In  the  first,  riders  appear 
mounted  upon  horses  of  various  colors,  bay,  sorrel, 
white.  The  horsemen  prove  to  be  the  Lord's  mes- 
sengers who  have  been  sent  to  and  fro  through  the 
earth  and  have  come  back  to  report  the  earth  as  sitting 
still  and  at  rest. 

Rebellions  suppressed.  If  the  builders  had  been 
encouraged  by  the  hope  that  the  Persian  empire  was 
breaking  up  and  the  era  of  their  own  independence 
under  a  Davidic  prince  was  at  hand,  this  source  of  hope 
must  have  been  shaken  by  the  course  of  events  at  this 
time.  The  accession  of  Darius  was  indeed  marked 
by  many  and  strong  insurrections.  High  upon  a  great 
cHff  in  northern  Persia,  Darius  was  able  to  have  carved, 
a  few  years  later,  an  account  of  his  successes  in  quell- 
ing the  rebellions  in  Susiana,  Babylon,  Media,  Persia, 
and  other  regions  of  the  eastern  part  of  the  great  em- 
pire which  Cyrus  had  built  up.  The  pretender  to  the 
throne  of  Media  was  supported  by  the  Hyrcanians  and 
Parthians  from  the  regions  further  east.  Of  the  latter 
people  we  hear  much  when  we  come  down  to  the  times 
of  Roman  conquest  in  the  east. 

New  discouragements.  Evidently  news  of  Darius's 
successes  in  suppressing  the  early  rebellions  had  now 
reached  Palestine  and  furnished  new  cause  of  dis- 
couragement to  the  little  community  which  had  begun 
to  dream  of  independence  under  a  second  David.  The 
work  of  temple  building,  now  progressed  for  five 
months,  still  gave  little  promise  of  beauty  in  finish 
and  adornment.     The  fittings  would  be  crude  indeed 


ZECHARIAH,  A  SEER  OF  VISIONS  107 

compared  with  the  master-workmanship  for  which 
Solomon  had  commanded  the  resources  of  Phamician 
materials  and  skill.  I  f  the  returned  exiles  brought  back 
from  Babylon  Ezekiel's  description  of  the  restored 
temple,  with  its  surrounding  courts,  so  much  more 
elaborate  than  Solomon's,  their  own  work  must  have 
seemed  even  more  contemptible  by  comparison.  Hag- 
gai  had  promised  a  shaking  of  the  nations  and  the 
inpouring  of  silver  and  gold.  Instead,  the  nations  are 
at  rest.  The  horsemen  of  Zechariah's  vision  serve  to 
put  in  picture  form  the  truth  that  is  already  distressing 
the  people. 

Promise.  The  angel  receives  from  Jehovah  and 
transmits  to  Zechariah  assurance  that  the  Lord  is  dis- 
pleased with  the  nations  that  are  at  ease.  He  has  re- 
turned to  Jerusalem  with  mercies,  his  house  shall  be 
built  in  it  and  his  cities  shall  yet  overflow  with  pros- 
perity. 

The  words  of  the  angel  Indicate  that  the  seventy 
years  of  captivity  predicted  by  Jeremiah  have  now 
been  completed.  Jehovah's  indignation  has  been 
poured  out  upon  Jerusalem  and  the  cities  of  Judah  for 
the  threescore  and  ten  years  named  in  593  B.  c. 

Vision  of  horns.  Vision  of  man  with  measuring 
rod.  In  his  next  vision,  Zechariah  sees  four  horns, 
the  nations  that  have  scattered  Judah  and  Israel,  and 
four  strong  smiths  come  to  cut  down  the  horns.  Then 
he  lifts  up  his  eyes  and  sees  a  man  with  a  measuring 
rod  in  his  hand  going  to  make  a  survey  of  Jerusalem. 
It  is  to  be  a  great  city  spreading  out  like  unwalled  vil- 
lages because  of  the  multitude  of  men  and  cattle.      It 


io8      GREAT  LEADERS  OF  HEBREW  HISTORY 

will  need  no  guarding  wall  of  stone,  for  Jehovah  will 
be  a  wall  of  fire  round  about.  He  will  also  be  the 
glory  in  the  midst  of  it. 

High  Priest  and  Satan.  More  is  needed  than  the 
cutting  down  of  the  horns  and  measuring  out  of  a 
great  city  before  Jerusalem  can  attain  her  promised 
destiny.  The  people  have  learned  enough  of  the  lesson 
of  the  exile  to  feel  a  sense  of  national  guilt.  A  sense 
of  guilt  unremoved  may  paralyze  manly  action. 
Zechariah's  next  vision  is  addressed  to  this  need. 
He  sees  the  high  priest  Joshua  standing  before  the 
angel  of  Jehovah  with  Satan  at  his  right  hand  to  be 
his  adversary. 

These  two  figures,  the  High  Priest  and  Satan,  are 
new  in  Zechariah's  time;  no  writing  earlier  than  the 
books  of  Haggai  and  Zechariah  has  distinct  mention 
of  an  ofllicer  known  as  High  Priest.  As  a  distinct 
office,  this  position  seems  to  be  one  of  the  outgrowths 
of  the  exile.  No  writing  either,  earlier  than  this  time, 
mentions  Satan  as  a  person.  The  Hebrew  word 
"  satan  "  is  originally  a  common  noun  meaning  "  ad- 
versary. "  It  is  so  used,  for  example,  in  I  Samuel 
29  '.4..  In  Zechariah  for  the  first  time,  the  Adversary, 
destined  to  play  a  prominent  part  in  later  writings, 
appears  in  Jewish  literature.  Since  there  is  no  such 
distinct  personality  set  over  against  the  righteous  and 
just  God  in  early  Hebrew  religion,  we  cannot  help 
wondering  whether  contact  with  Persia  gave  Israel 
this  idea.  In  the  Persian  religion,  at  any  rate,  the 
evil  being  plays  a  prominent  part  over  against  the  good 
god. 


ZECHARIAH,  A  SEER  OF  VISIONS  109 

Whatever  may  have  suggested  the  idea  of  Satan  to 
Zechariah,  he  now  sees,  set  over  against  each  other, 
two  figures  which  are  to  bring  into  the  Jewish  and 
Christian  religions  long  chains  of  influence.  The 
high  priest  stands,  in  Zechariah's  vision,  bearing  the 
sins  of  the  people  on  his  body,  symbolized  by  filthy 
garments.  Jehovah  rebukes  Satan,  who  stands  at  the 
priest's  right  hand  to  be  his  adversary,  and  orders  the 
iilthy  garments  removed  and  new  apparel  put  on  the 
priest,  symbol  of  the  removal  of  iniquity. 

Another  vision  shows  Wickedness  in  the  form  of 
a  woman,  put  in  a  grain  measure,  covered  with  a 
weight  of  lead,  and  borne  off  to  the  land  of  Babylon 
by  two  women  with  great  wings.  Though  the  sym- 
bolism is  strange  to  us,  the  meaning  is  clear.  The 
seventy  years  of  doom  are  fulfilled,  Jehovah's  judg- 
ment is  accomplished,  the  sin  of  the  nation  has  been 
purged  away. 

Individual  responsiblity.  Now  that  the  sin  of  the 
nation  has  been  expiated,  the  prophet  teaches  that  the 
guilt  of  the  individual  shall  rest  only  on  the  individual. 
He  sees  a  great  flying  scroll,  thirty  feet  long,  fifteen 
feet  wide.  This  represents  the  curse  that  is  to  enter 
the  house  of  the  thief  and  the  one  who  swears  falsely, 
and  to  consume  it,  timber  and  stones. 

Messianic  hope.  With  all  this  assurance  of  a  new 
chance  for  the  nation,  there  are  clearer  glimpses  than 
in  Haggai  of  the  speedy  coming  of  the  Messianic  age. 
Joshua  clothed  in  the  new  garments  and  his  fellows 
who  sit  before  him  are  signs  that  Jehovah  will  bring 
forth  his   servant,   the   Branch   or   Shoot.     The   allu- 


no      GREAT  LEADERS  OF  HEBREW  HISTORY 

sion  is  evidently  to  the  Shoot  that  is  to  come  forth  from 
the  stem  of  Jesse,  the  anticipated  greater  David. 

Vision  of  lamp  and  olive  trees.  Another  vision 
reveals  a  great,  seven  branched,  gold  lamp,  like  that 
of  the  temple.  Beside  it  are  two  olive  trees  that  sup- 
ply the  oil  for  all  the  seven  flames.  The  message  of 
the  vision  is  to  Zerubbabel  from  the  Lord :  Not  by 
might,  nor  by  power,  but  by  my  Spirit  shall  insurmount- 
able obstacles  be  overcome.  Zerubbabel  who  has  laid 
the  foundation  shall  finish  the  temple.  The  olive 
trees  are  the  anointed  prince  and  priest  through  whom 
the  continuous  golden  oil  of  the  Divine  Spirit  flows  to 
the  ever-burning  lamps. 

The  Branch  crowned.  At  a  later  time  the  prophet 
becomes  more  bold.  When  a  deputation  has  come 
from  Babylon  bearing  gold  and  silver  for  the  temple, 
he  takes  of  the  gold  and  makes  crowns  for  the  head 
of  the  priest  or  king,  or  both,  saying,  "  Behold  the  man 
whose  name  is  the  Branch."  The  narrative  is  confused 
as  it  stands  and  has  evidently  suffered  some  change, 
for  one  man  is  spoken  of  who  shall  rule  upon  his  throne 
and  be  a  priest  upon  his  throne  and,  in  the  same  sen- 
tence, we  read  that  a  counsel  of  peace  shall  be  between 
them  both.  Probably  the  vision,  like  that  of  the  olive 
trees,  originally  referred  to  both  Zerubbabel  and  Joshua 
as  royal  and  priestly  heads  of  the  state.  Such  an  act 
as  the  symbolic  crowning  might  easily  be  reported  to 
the  Persian  rulers  in  a  way  that  would  indicate  a  plot 
to  throw  off  foreign  power  and  make  Judea  indepen- 
dent.    Perhaps  danger  of  this  sort  led  to  the  cutting 


ZECHARIAH,  A  SEER  OF  VISIONS  iii 

of  the  prince  out  of  the  narrative,  leaving  only  the 
priest. 

Vision  of  chariots  and  horses.  Zecharlah's  first 
group  of  visions  ends  as  it  began  with  variously  colored 
horses  which  go  forth,  to  and  fro,  in  the  earth;  but 
these  are  not,  like  the  first,  simple  messengers.  Those 
that  go  toward  the  north,  go  to  satisfy  the  Lord's 
wrath  on  Babylonia. 

True  service.  When  the  building  of  the  temple 
had  been  progressing  for  a  little  more  than  two  years, 
the  occasion  called  for  another  message  from  Zecha- 
riah.  A  deputation  came  from  Bethel,  the  site  of 
the  old  sanctuary  of  the  northern  kingdom  which 
Joslah  had  polluted.  They  came  to  entreat  the  favor 
of  Jehovah  and  to  make  inquiry  as  to  continuing  the 
mournful  fasts  of  the  fifth  and  seventh  months  which 
they  have  maintained  during  the  seventy  years  of  Jeru- 
salem's devastation.  The  prophet  sternly  disapproved 
of  their  fastings  and  their  feastings.  He  would  have 
them  rather  obey  the  commandments  of  the  former 
prophets  whose  message  of  right  conduct  he  reiterated. 
Execute  true  judgment,  show  kindness  and  compassion 
to  one  another,  oppress  not  the  defenseless,  the  widow, 
the  orphan,  foreigner,  and  poor  man.  It  was  because 
their  fathers  had  rejected  these  duties  that  a  whirl- 
wind had  scattered  them  among  all  the  nations. 

Jerusalem's  future.  With  the  sad  picture  of  the 
past  Zechariah  contrasted  Jehovah's  purpose  for 
Jerusalem's  future.  It  was  to  be  called  the  city  of 
truth,  the  mountain  of  Jehovah  of  hosts.     In  its  safe 


112      GREAT  LEADERS  OF  HEBREW  HISTORY 

and  peaceful  streets  would  be  old  men  and  women  lean- 
ing on  their  staffs  for  very  age  and  happy  boys  and 
girls  at  play.  The  distant  exiles  would  be  brought 
back  from  east  and  west  to  inhabit  the  city.  All 
would  be  his  people,  and  he  would  be  their  God  in 
truth  and  righteousness.  As  Haggai  had  reminded 
them,  poverty  and  danger  had  been  their  lot  before 
they  began  to  rebuild  the  temple.  Now  the  vine  would 
give  its  fruit  and  the  ground  its  crops.  Jehovah's 
purpose  of  blessing  was  as  fixed  as  his  purpose  of 
judgment  had  been  determined.  Their  part  was  to 
speak  the  truth,  do  justice  in  the  village  court,  plot 
no  evil  against  one  another,  and  love  no  false  oath. 
These  things  Jehovah  hated.  Your  fasts  are  turned 
into  joyous  feasts,  the  prophet  proclaimed.  You  shall 
move  freely  from  city  to  city  in  your  land,  and  the 
people  of  the  great  nations  outside  shall  come  to  seek 
the  Lord's  favor  in  Jerusalem. 

Familiarity  with  earlier  prophets.  Zecharlah  had 
studied  the  writings  of  the  prophets  who  preceded 
him.  His  visions  are  similar  to  those  of  Amos  as 
well  as  Ezekiel.  His  thought  and  phrases  show  that 
he  has  assimilated  the  writings  of  Jeremiah  too.  He 
is  sure  that  the  time  of  devastation  is  at  its  end,  since 
Jeremiah's  prediction  of  seventy  years  has  been  ful- 
filled. Above  all  he  is  saturated  with  the  moral  teach- 
ing of  the  great  pre-exilic  prophets  who  knew  that  man's 
first  duty  toward  God  was  to  do  justice  and  kindness, 
to  speak  truth  and  hate  the  false  oath.  These  were 
the  duties  of  the  men  of  Israel  before  Jerusalem  fell. 
Because  they  had  rejected  these  duties,  the  great  judg- 


ZECHARIAH,  A  SKER  OF  VISIONS  113 

mcnt  had  come  upon  them.     Now  that  the  punishment 
has  been  accomplished,   they  are  not  to  occupy  their 
time   in   profitless   mourning   and   fasting.     They   are 
to  take  up  the  old  duties  in  good  hope  of  God's  bless- 
ing. . 
Zechariah  and  Haggai.     Zechariah  is  a  seer  of  vi- 
sions like  Amos,  but  like  him  too,  he  is  a  teacher  of 
sound  morals  and  wholesome  religion.     He  is  a  man  of 
education  who  knows  the  literature  of  his  people.     So, 
though  he  is  not  a  great,  original  prophet,  he  sees  far 
more  deeply  and  widely  than  Haggai.     The  two  pro- 
phets, through  whose  word  the   men  of  Judah  built 
and  completed  the  temple,  were  men  of  very  different 
temperaments   and  equipment.     In   their   efforts   they 
supplemented  each  the  other,   and  through  them  the 
difficult  task  of  rebuilding  the  temple  was  undertaken 
and  carried  forward. 

The  second  and  the  first  temple.  The  last  dated 
message  of  Zechariah  was  delivered  in  December,  518 
B.  c.  At  that  time  the  work  of  building  must  have 
been  well  advanced,  for  it  was  completed  in  5  16.  The 
original  temple  of  Solomon  required  seven  years  for 
its  construction,  notwithstanding  the  fact  that  the  kmg 
was  able  to  command  the  forced  labor  of  the  men  of 
the  entire  nation  and  was  able  also  to  call  upon  the 
resources  of  Phoenicia  for  skilled  workmen  and  for 
materials.  The  fact  that  the  little  community  of 
Zerubbabel's  time  was  able  to  complete  the  building  in 
four  years  speaks  pathetically  of  the  ruder  and  less 
finished  work  that  they  must  have  accomplished.  We 
should  not  forget,  however,  that  the   foundations  of 


114      GREAT  LEADERS  OF  HEBREW  HISTORY 

the  old  temple  were  probably  in  their  place  and  the 
stones  of  the  fallen  walls  lying  about. 

The  furnishings  of  the  ancient  temple  were  carried 
to  Babylon  in  586  B.  c.  and  that  is  the  last  we  know 
of  their  fate.  The  seven  branched  lamp,  table  of 
shew-bread,  and  other  furnishings  of  the  holy  place 
and  altar  court  might  be  reproduced  for  the  new 
temple;  but  the  hallowed  ark,  which  had  been  the  sym- 
bol of  God's  presence  with  his  people  from  Sinai  on- 
ward, could  not  be  replaced.  This  and,  apparently, 
also  the  mercy-seat  and  protecting  cherubim  were  not 
reproduced  for  the  new  temple,  so  that  the  holy  of 
holies  remained  empty  of  all  material  objects.  When, 
in  63  B.  c,  Pompey  penetrated  to  this  most  sacred 
place,  expecting  to  find  some  image  of  the  Jews'  wor- 
ship, he  was  astonished  to  see  only  a  vacant  inner  room 
as,  the  especial  earthly  abode  of  the  God  not  made 
with  hands,  eternal  in  the  heavens. 

Important  Biblical  references:  Zechariah  1-3;  5:  1-4;  Isaiah 
11:  1-5;  Jeremiah  23:5-8;  33:  14-18;  Zechariah  4;  6:9-15; 
6:1-8;  7-8. 


CHAPTER  XIII 

MALACIII    THE    MESSENGER 

Two  generations  of  obscurity  in  Judea.  With  the 
completion  and  dedication  of  the  temple  in  516  B.C., 
our  knowledge  of  the  details  of  events  in  Jerusalem  is 
interrupted  for  two  generations.  There  was  probably 
not  much  to  tell  which  future  generations  cared  to 
preserve.  The  high  hopes  aroused  in  connection  with 
the  rebuilding  had  been  disappointed.  We  know 
nothing  of  the  ultimate  fate  of  the  prince-governor 
on  whom  Haggai  and  Zechariah  had  centered  such 
expectations.  When  we  do  get  a  glimpse  once  more 
of  the  Jerusalem  community,  the  house  of  David  has 
disappeared  from  official  leadership.  A  Persian 
governor  is  at  the  head  of  the  province  of  Judea  and 
the  priests  of  the  tribe  of  Levi  are  the  chief  native 
functionaries. 

A  significant  time  in  Persian  and  Greek  history. 
In  the  world  at  large  the  years,  so  silent  in  Jewish  his- 
tory, have  been  full  of  stirring  events.  Darius  has  or- 
ganized the  Persian  empire  into  great  provinces  or  sa- 
trapies, each  directed  by  a  governor  or  satrap.  By  the 
development  of  roads  and  a  courier  system  for  rapid 
communication,  it  has  been  made  possible  for  the  Per- 
sian emperor  to  keep  close  control  of  each  district. 
By  the  conquest  of  the  Ionian  colonies,  the  empire  has 

115 


ii6      GREAT  LEADERS  OF  HEBREW  HISTORY 

spread  to  the  i^gean  coast.  The  armies  of  Darius  and 
Xerxes  have  even  crossed  into  Europe  and  undertaken 
the  conquest  of  Greece,  Marathon,  Thermopylae, 
Salamis,  and  Plataea  have  been  fought  in  this  period, 
and  the  Persian  has  been  forever  thrust  back  from 
European  soil.  The  power  of  the  empire  in  Asia, 
however,  was  still  maintained  for  long  generations. 

Dangerous  condition  of  Judea.  Judea  as  a  little 
sub-province  of  one  of  the  satrapies,  was  closely 
associated  with  the  remnants  of  population  of  the  other 
ancient  districts  of  Palestine,  all  of  which  were  included 
in  the  same  satrapy.  The  worship  at  the  temple  was 
maintained  through  all  these  years,  but  it  came  to  be 
supported  in  a  most  half-hearted  manner.  The  people 
began  to  question  whether  the  Lord  was  not  best 
pleased  with  evildoers  and  they  could  not  find  any 
evidence  of  a  God  of  justice.  The  priests  offered  pol- 
luted bread  on  the  altar,  and  animals  that  were  blind, 
lame,  and  sick,  such  as  they  would  not  dare  give  for 
tribute  to  the  governor.  Even  when  a  man  made  a 
vow  to  Jehovah,  he  would  not  bring  one  of  the  best 
of  his  flock  In  payment,  but  some  blemished  thing. 
When  men  came  to  the  priests  for  instruction  in  the 
law  of  the  Lord,  these  authorized  interpreters  did 
not  give  right  instruction. 

Malachi.  Such  were  the  conditions  pictured  by  a 
prophet  who  appeared  in  Jerusalem  sixty  or  seventy 
years  after  the  completion  of  the  temple.  This  proph- 
et is  known  as  Malachi,  but  we  are  very  doubtful 
as  to  whether  that  was  a  proper  name.  Malachi 
means  "  my  messenger  "  or  "my  angel.  "     In  one  pas- 


MALACIII    rilE  MESSENGER  117 

sage  the  prophet  declares  in  the  name  of  the  Lord, 
"Behold,  I  send  my  messenger"  (malachi).  It  is 
probable  that  the  name  was  given  to  the  book  from 
this  passage  rather  than  the  author.  It  is  convenient, 
however,  to  continue  the  old  practice  of  calling  the 
author  of  the  book  Malachi,  although  we  may  recog- 
nize that  this  is  really  the  title  of  a  future  representa- 
tive of  God,  to  whom  the  prophet  looked  forward. 

Jehovah's  love  and  Israel's  disloyalty.  Malachi 
begins  by  assuring  the  discouraged  people  that  Jehovah 
has  loved  them.  Their  question  instantly  is,  "  Wherein 
hast  thou  loved  us?"  Like  many  honest  people  of 
later  times,  the  only  evidence  of  Divine  love  that  they 
can  understand  is  the  giving  of  material  prosperity. 
Since  this  is  lacking,  they  doubt  the  love.  Malachi 
meets  their  skepticism  as  best  he  can.  He  reminds 
them  of  blessings  given  to  Israel  in  the  past,  rather 
than  to  their  kindred,  Edom.  He  assures  them  that 
the  Edomites,  who  are  now  pressing  hard  upon  Judah's 
territory,  shall  be  overthrown.  He  goes  on  to  picture 
the  present  disloyalty  of  priests  and  people  in  their  in- 
sulting offerings  to  the  Lord.  Then  he  contrasts  the 
honor  that  is,  or  shall  be,  given  to  Jehovah  among  the 
gentiles  with  the  dishonor  done  him  in  his  own  temple. 

Foreign  marriages.  Aside  from  the  faithlessness 
exhibited  in  the  wretched  worship,  Malachi  finds  an- 
other disloyalty,  one  that  is  perhaps  more  alarming  for 
the  future  safety  of  the  community  and  the  truth  which 
it  must  preserve  for  the  w^orld.  In  the  close  associa- 
tion of  the  Jews  with  their  heathen  and  half  heathen 
neighbors,   they  have  come  to  intermarry  with  them. 


ii8       GREAT  LEADERS  OF  HEBREW  HISTORY 

even  divorcing  their  Jewish  wives  in  order  to  make 
such  alliances.  The  books  of  Ezra  and  Nehemiah 
give  some  details  of  this  tendency  which  make  Mal- 
achi's  warnings  on  the  subject  very  clear  to  us.  Even 
the  priests  and  Levites  had  not  hesitated  to  intermarry 
with  the  neighboring  peoples;  in  fact,  Nehemiah  found, 
a  few  years  later,  that  the  grandson  of  the  high  priest 
had  married  a  non-Jew.  He  found  too  that  the  chil- 
dren of  those  who  had  married  Philistines,  Ammonites, 
and  Moabites  were  unable  to  speak  the  Jewish  lan- 
guage. 

The  situation  that  Malachi  faced  was  a  critical  one 
for  the  future  of  Judaism.  The  Jews  in  Babylon  and 
those  who  had  settled  far  up  the  Nile  in  Egypt  seem 
to  have  found  it  easier  to  keep  their  racial  separation 
and  maintain  their  religious  practices  than  those  in 
Jerusalem.  Perhaps  the  fact  that  these  distant  groups 
were  among  such  utterly  alien  people  made  it  easier 
than  it  was  for  the  little  Judean  community,  surrounded 
by  ancient  neighbors  with  whom  intermarriage  had 
occurred  in  former  times.  David  and  Solomon  had 
both  made  marriage  alliances  with  neighboring  peoples, 
and  David,  according  to  the  tradition  preserved  in  the 
beautiful  story  of  Ruth,  had  a  Moabitess  as  his  great- 
grandmother. 

In  the  days  of  the  kingdom,  it  would  seem,  no  general 
objection  was  raised  to  marriages  between  the  Hebrews 
and  neighboring  peoples.  It  was  a  later  hand  that 
pointed  out  the  evils  resulting  from  Solomon's  foreign 
marriages.  As  the  prophets  came  to  insist  more  and 
more  strongly  that  no  god  except  Jehovah  should  be 


MALACin  THE  MESSENGER  119 

worshipped  on  Israel's  soil,  it  began  to  be  seen  that 
marriage  with  women  of  other  reHgions  involved  great 
difficulties;  but  the  subject  of  intermarriage  comes 
prominently  to  the  front  only  in  the  period  we  are  now 
considering. 

Malachi's  work  preliminary.  Malachi  was,  per- 
haps, the  first  to  take  up  the  matter  seriously.  His 
message  was,  in  all  probability,  delivered  before  Nehe- 
miah  and  Ezra  did  their  work.  It  was  left  for  them 
to  reform  the  practice,  but  Malachi  had  prepared  the 
way  for  their  drastic  steps.  Looking  back  we  can 
readily  see  that  the  Jewish  community  which  centered 
around  the  temple  in  Jerusalem  was  in  danger  of  be- 
ing wholly  absorbed  in  the  mixed  population  of  the 
Persian  province,  of  which  it  formed  so  small  a  part. 
The  prophet  saw  that  the  future  of  the  national  re- 
ligion was  closely  wrapped  up  with  the  preservation  of 
the  Jerusalem  community,  unmixed  with  other  peoples. 
His  sermon  against  divorce  and  the  marrying  of 
foreign  wives  was  a  first  step  in  a  series  of  events  that 
soon  shaped  the  Jewish  community  along  the  lines  of 
exclusiveness  which  have  been  maintained  so  rigidly 
for  the  almost  twenty-four  centuries  since. 

Method  of  teaching.  Malachi's  method  of  instruc- 
tion was  singularly  different  from  that  of  the  earlier 
prophets.  Instead  of  impassioned  discourses  and 
songs  or  symbolic  acts  and  visions,  his  was  the  method 
of  question  and  answer.  The  form  suggests  the 
familiar  Socratic  dialogue,  which  the  great  moral  teach- 
er of  Athens  was  to  use  so  effectively  a  few  years  later. 
When  Malachi  was  conducting  his  dialogue  form  of 


I20       GREAT  LEADERS  OF  HEBREW  HISTORY 

teaching  In  Jerusalem,  Socrates  was  still  a  youth  who 
had  not  yet  begun  his  work  of  instruction.  Malachi's 
form  of  teaching  was  to  make  some  general  statement, 
such  as,  I  have  loved  you,  saith  Jehovah,  or.  Ye  have 
wearied  Jehovah  with  your  words.  Then  he  repre- 
sents the  people  as  raising  objection  to  his  statement 
in  the  form  of  a  question,  Wherein  hast  thou  loved 
us?  or  Wherein  have  we  wearied  thee?  In  answer- 
ing these  questions  the  prophet  sets  forth  his  more  de- 
tailed and  definite  teachings.  Perhaps  actual  dia- 
logues with  his  hearers  lie  behind  these  pictures  of  the 
teacher  and  the  doubting  questioners. 

Elijah  promised.  Undoubtedly  our  prophet  is 
best  remembered  for  the  messenger  prophecy  with  the 
promise  of  Elijah  to  come  as  the  forerunner  of  Jeho- 
vah's great  and  terrible  day.  The  messenger  is  to 
prepare  the  way  before  the  Lord,  who  will  suddenly 
come  to  his  temple.  It  will  prove  a  time  of  refining 
and  purifying.  The  Levltes  will  be  purified  as  gold 
and  silver  in  the  fire.  As  a  swift  witness,  the  Lord 
will  come  against  the  sorcerers,  the  adulterers,  and 
those  who  oppress  the  hireling  in  his  wages,  the  widow, 
and  the  fatherless.  The  great  and  terrible  day  of 
fiery  judgment  is  coming,  but  unto  those  who  fear 
his  name,  the  sun  of  righteousness  will  arise  with  heal- 
ing in  his  wings.  Before  this  great  day,  Elijah  will 
come.  He  will  turn  the  heart  of  the  children  to  the 
fathers,  and  the  heart  of  the  fathers  to  the  children, 
that  the  curse  of  the  land  may  be  averted. 

As  the  books  are  arranged  in  our  Enghsh  Bibles, 
this  promise  stands  as  the  last  word  of  the  Old  Testa- 


MALACHI  THE  MESSENGER  121 

ment.  When  we  open  the  New  Testament  and  read 
the  life  of  Christ  we  find  that  the  nearly  five  hundred 
years  between  the  prophecy  of  Malachi  and  the  public 
ministry  of  Jesus  had  not  been  sufl'icient  to  obscure  the 
memory  of  the  promise.  When  Jesus  came  with  his 
winnowing  fan  in  his  hand,  thoroughly  to  cleanse  the 
threshing  floor  of  Israel,  men  questioned  as  to  whether 
this  might  be  the  Elijah  promised  or  the  Messiah  him- 
self. 

John  the  Baptist  and  Malachi's  promise.  When 
we  recall  how  the  prophet  Elijah,  in  Ahab's  day,  pre- 
pared the  way  for  the  great  writing  prophets  by  his 
message  of  Jehovah  and  justice,  it  is  not  hard  to  see 
that  John  the  Baptist  fulfilled  the  function  of  Elijah 
when  he  preached  right  conduct,  to  prepare  the  way 
for  one  who  would  give  the  fuller  message.  Elijah 
came  to  a  nation  which  had  never  learned  that  Jehovah 
would  not  tolerate  such  dishonest  practices  and  tyran- 
nical oppression  as  were  practiced  in  the  nations  wor- 
shipping other  gods.  John  the  Baptist  came  to  a 
people  which  had  substituted  ceremonial  purification, 
tithes,  and  offerings  for  the  justice,  kindness,  and  truth 
which  the  great  prophets  had  demanded  in  Jehovah's 
name. 

Place  of  Malachi.  Malachi  emphasized  worthy 
offerings  and  full  tithes  and  insisted  upon  complete 
separation  of  the  Jews.  The  religion  of  the  great 
prophets  and  of  John  the  Baptist  were  essentially  the 
same.  They  lead  to  the  mountain  tops  that  catch 
the  first  rays  of  the  morning  sun  and  look  out  to  the 
higher  peak  beyond,   where   Jesus   stands.      Malachi, 


122      GREAT  LEADERS  OF  HEBREW  HISTORY 

it  is  true,  is  in  the  shadowy  valley  between  the  older 
prophets  and  the  Baptist.  His  message  of  ceremonial 
offerings  and  complete  separation  was  one  for  his 
time  rather  than  for  all  time,  one  for  the  dark,  narrow 
valley  rather  than  the  sunlit  mountain  peak.  Yet  it 
was  given  to  him  also  to  look  up  and  beyond  to  the 
dawning  of  the  new  age. 

Important  Biblical  references:  Malachi  1-2;  Nehemiah  13: 
23-29;  Ezra  9:  1-4;  Malachi  3-4. 


CHAPTER  XIV, 

NEHEMIAH    REBUILDS   THE    WALLS 

Nehemiah  and  the  deputation  from  Jerusalem. 
Not  many  years  after  Malachi's  teaching,  an  eastern 
Jew,  who  must  have  been  a  descendant  of  the  Babylon- 
ian exiles,  was  hving  in  the  Persian  capital  Susa.  He 
was  a  man  of  great  ability  and  had  risen  to  a  position  of 
trust,  close  to  the  person  of  the  emperor  Artaxerxes. 
Perhaps  news  had  reached  Jerusalem  of  the  position 
this  man  of  their  kindred  had  attained  at  the  court. 
At  any  rate,  a  deputation  from  the  holy  city  came  to 
Susa,  in  the  twentieth  year  of  Artaxerxes  I,  the  year 
445  B.  c.  The  prominent  courtier,  Nehemiah,  eagerly 
inquired  for  the  Jews  that  were  left  of  the  captivity 
and  for  Jerusalem.  The  visitors  told  of  the  distress 
and  reproach  that  was  upon  those  left  in  the  province 
and  of  the  ruined  condition  of  the  walls  and  gates  of 
Jerusalem. 

Jerusalem's  condition.  This  son  of  the  exile,  at  the 
far  distant  seat  of  the  Persian  government,  had  not 
known,  or  had  not  fully  realized,  the  condition  of 
Jerusalem  and  the  men  who  had  been  left  there. 
Seventy-one  years  have  now  elapsed  since  the  rebuild- 
ing of  the  temple,  yet  no  guarding  walls  have  risen 
about  the  city.  The  people  are  exposed  to  danger 
and  reproach  from  jealous  neighbors  if  they  attempt 

123 


124 


NEHEMIAH  REBUILDS  THE  WALLS        125 

to  keep  themselves  separate  and  to  maintain  the  wor- 
ship of  the  temple  free  from  the  contamination  of 
pagan  rites  or  to  preserve  the  sacredness  of  the  Sabbath 
and  any  other  of  their  distinctive  practices. 

Nehemiah's  request.  When  Nehemiah  learned  of 
the  situation,  he  mourned  for  days,  fasting  and  pray- 
ing to  God.  As  he  served  in  the  presence  of  the  king, 
the  next  month,  his  sadness  was  noticed  and  inquiry 
made  for  the  reason.  Nehemiah  told  very  simply,  and 
the  king  asked  what  he  would  desire.  Then,  with  a 
prayer  to  God  in  his  heart,  he  made  request  of  the 
king  that  he  might  be  sent  back  to  Jerusalem  to  re- 
build. 

Journey  to  Jerusalem.  The  necessary  time  of  his 
stay  was  agreed  upon  and  royal  letters  were  given 
Nehemiah  for  the  governors  of  the  provinces  through 
which  he  must  pass.  He  received  also  a  requisition 
upon  Asaph  the  keeper  of  the  king's  forest  for  the 
timber  needed.  With  an  escort  of  officers  and  cavalry 
Nehemiah  made  the  long  journey  across  the  mountains 
to  the  plain  of  the  Tigris  and  Euphrates,  and  up 
through  Mesopotamia  to  the  crossing  place  of  the 
Euphrates,  thence  down  through  Syria  and  the  ancient 
territory  of  northern  Israel  to  the  mountain  region 
of  Judea. 

Perhaps  Nehemiah  passed  near  the  site  of  ancient 
Nineveh  which  had  been  the  splendid  capital  of  con- 
quering Assyria,  two  centuries  before.  About  forty 
years  later  than  Nehemiah's  journey,  Xenophon  led 
the  ten  thousand  close  by  the  site  of  the  former  capi- 
tal and  never  suspected  the  presence  of  the  buried  city. 


126       GREAT  LEADERS  OF  HEBREW  HISTORY 

One  wonders  whether  In  Nehemiah's  time,  a  Httle  more 
than  one  hundred  and  sixty  years  after  the  city's  de- 
struction by  the  Medes  and  Babylonians,  the  memory 
of.  its  situation  had  already  grown  dim.  Nineveh, 
that  lions'  den  that  had  been  full  of  prey,  was  soon 
buried  beneath  the  shifting  sands  of  the  earth's  sur- 
face. 

As  the  royal  governor,  with  his  military  escort, 
came  down  from  the  Euphrates  through  Syria,  clothed 
with  authority  from  the  mighty  Persian  emperor  to 
rebuild  the  walls  of  Jerusalem,  he  may  well  have  been 
moved  by  the  thought  that  this  was  the  road  his  fathers 
had  traveled  as  exiles.  Stripped  and  barefoot,  they 
had  traversed  the  sad  and  weary  miles  almost  a  century 
and  a  half  before. 

Enemies  in  Palestine.  Of  his  long  and  interesting 
journey,  of  the  hospitality  shown  by  the  governors 
along  the  route  to  whom  the  king's  letters  were  deliv- 
ered, Nehemiah  takes  no  time  to  tell  us.  The  episode 
of  the  twelve  hundred  miles  on  horseback  is  covered 
in  a  very  few  words.  What  it  especially  concerns 
Nehemiah  to  tell  is  the  hostile  attitude  of  the  chief  men 
of  the  peoples  nearest  to  Jerusalem,  Sanballat  the 
Horonite  and  Tobiah  the  Ammonite.  From  these 
men  the  governor  is  to  have  much  trouble,  despite  his 
royal  commission.  They  are  cunning  and  persistent 
and  they  are  determined  that  Jerusalem  shall  not  again 
rise  to  its  old  position  as  the  dominant  center  of  the 
district.  If  the  Horonite  lived  at  Beth  Horon,  his 
home  was  not  more  than  a  dozen  miles  to  the  north- 
west  of   Jerusalem,    close    to   the   border   of   Judea. 


NEHEMIAII  RKIJUILDS  THK  WALLS        127 

Tobiah,  whom  Nehemlah  styles  the  servant,  the 
Ammonite,  presumably  lived  somewhere  to  the  east  or 
northeast  of  Judea.  He  was  doubly  intermarried 
with  prominent  Jewish  families,  as  he  and  his  son  both 
had  Jewish  wives.  He  was  thus  in  constant  corre- 
spondence with  Jewish  nobles  who  were  in  sworn  fealty 
with  him.  Well  had  Malachi  condemned  such  unions, 
so  dangerous  to  the  future  of  his  people. 

The  night  ride.  The  farseeing  Nehemiah  did  not 
trust  a  knowledge  of  his  plans  to  any  one.  With  the 
Judeans  so  intermarried  among  the  neighboring  groups 
it  was  impossible  to  tell  whom  to  trust.  Word  would 
doubtless  have  flown  quickly  to  the  Horonite  or  Am- 
monite, if  it  had  been  known  to  any  that  the  Jewish 
governor  had  come  to  the  city  of  his  fathers'  sepulchers 
with  authority  to  rebuild  the  walls.  After  three  days 
in  the  city,  during  which  we  must  suppose  that  the  slow 
and  elaborate  formalities  of  Oriental  hospitality  had 
fully  occupied  the  waking  hours,  the  new  Governor 
arose  in  the  stillness  of  the  night,  mounting  a  sure- 
footed beast  and,  accompanied  by  a  few  trusty  attend- 
ants on  foot,  he  rode  out  of  the  city  and  around  the 
outer  circuit  of  its  ancient  walls,  on  the  steep  edges  of 
the  encircling  valleys,  where  the  debris  of  the  ruins  left 
the  possibility  for  beast  or  man  to  pass.  Not  even  the 
chief  men  of  Jerusalem,  priests  or  nobles,  knew  of  this 
night  ride  of  inspection. 

Nehemiah  makes  known  his  plans.  Supplied  with 
the  knowledge  that  his  personal  inspection  had  given 
him  of  the  work  to  be  done,  Nehemiah  called  together 
the  leaders  and  people.     He  spoke  of  the  ruined  con- 


128       GREAT  LEADERS  OF  HEBREW  HISTORY 

dition  of  the  city  and  Its  gates;  he  proposed  the  re- 
building of  the  wall  and  now  told  of  the  king's  permis- 
sion. The  immediate  response  was  favorable,  but  soon 
Sanballat,  Tobiah,  and  Geshem  the  Arabian  heard  and 
laughed,  suggesting  that  this  meant  rebellion  against 
the  great  king.  Nehemiah  knew  full  well  that  if  the 
story  of  Jerusalem's  ancient  struggle  for  independence 
from  the  eastern  powers  that  had  ruled  it  should  be 
carried  to  Artaxerxes  while  he  was  in  distant  Palestine, 
his  enterprise  might  easily  be  given  the  color  of  pre- 
meditated rebellion.  Yet  he  met  the  ridicule  and 
dangerous  suggestion  of  his  tricky  foes  with  fearless 
faith  in  God's  favor,  and  with  a  definite  statement 
that  they  had  no  right  in  Jerusalem. 

The  work  to  be  done.  As  in  the  case  of  rebuilding 
the  temple  the  work  must  have  been  facilitated  by  the 
fact  that  the  walls  had  not  been  entirely  removed  and 
their  stones  carried  off.  No  doubt  the  foundation 
stones  and  some  of  the  lower  parts  of  the  walls  re- 
mained in  place  and  the  upper  stones  must  still  have 
lain  near  where  the  destroyers,  sent  by  Nebuchadrezzar 
in  586,  had  toppled  them  down.  The  work  would 
largely  be  that  of  clearing  away  the  rubbish  and  growth 
that  had  accumulated  over  them  in  a  hundred  and  forty 
years,  and  then  of  raising  and  replacing  the  stones  and 
building  the  necessary  wooden  gates  that  had  all  been 
burned. 

The  Samaritans  and  the  temple.  Sanballat,  re- 
jected by  Nehemiah,  went  to  his  kindred  and  the  fight- 
ing men  of  Samaria  and  harangued  them  on  what  the 
Jews  were  undertaking  to  do.     His  people  must  have 


NEHEMIAH  REBUILDS  THE  WALLS        129 

been  the  mixed  descendants  of  the  remnants  of  north- 
ern Israel  and  the  foreigners  from  the  east  who  hat! 
been  settled  in  the  land  by  the  Assyrian  conquerors,  just 
about  as  long  before  Nehemiah's  day  as  the  Mayflovccr 
voyages  before  our  time.  The  pagan  settlers  had. 
after  a  fashion,  learned  to  worship  the  God  of  Israel; 
then,  under  Josiah's  rule,  they  had  been  compelled 
to  give  up  the  old  sanctuaries  of  the  land  and  to  wor- 
ship at  Jerusalem  or  not  at  all.  So  they  had  some 
claim  to  the  privilege  of  worshipping  in  the  temple 
where  Josiah  had  undertaken  to  centralize  all  the  wor- 
ship of  the  land. 

Tobiah  the  Ammonite  supported  Sanballat's  words 
with  assurance  that  a  fox  could  easily  break  down  the 
wall  the  Jews  were  building.  We  recall,  as  we  read 
Nehemiah's  vivid  account  of  this  scene  in  Samaria,  the 
Roman  story  of  how  Remus  leapt  in  scorn  over  the  un- 
finished wall  of  Romulus. 

Conspiracy  to  attack.  Meanwhile  Nehemiah  and 
the  people  were  keeping  steadily  at  their  labor  and 
the  wall  was  half  up.  The  news  spread  and  reached 
the  ancient  Philistine  city  of  Ashdod.  A  conspiracy 
was  hatched  between  the  Philistines  and  Sanballat  and 
Tobiah  with  their  Arabian  and  Ammonite  associates. 
They  agreed  to  unite  in  a  surprise  attack  before  the 
breaches  of  the  walls  were  fully  closed.  The  close 
relations  between  the  Jews  and  their  neighbors  served 
to  bring  news  to  Jerusalem  as  well  as  to  carry  it  out- 
side. Nehemiah  took  speedy  measures  for  defense, 
setting  a  watch  and  arming  the  men  to  guard  their 
families  and  houses.     The  plotters  had  no  mind  for 


I30      GREAT  LEADERS  OF  HEBREW  HISTORY 

an  attack  upon  men  who  were  prepared  to  defend  the 
half  completed  walls  and  gave  up  their  plan. 

Measures  of  defense.  Nehemiah  now  renewed  the 
work  with  half  of  the  men  laboring  and  half  standing 
to  their  arms.  All  the  workers  remained  in  the  city 
as  a  guard  at  night  while  Nehemiah  and  his  personal 
guard,  always  armed,  never  removed  their  clothes. 
With  the  governor  was  a  trumpeter  ready  to  summon 
the  men  to  any  point  that  might  be  attacked,  for  the 
men  were  not  many  and  they  were  spread  very  thinly 
along  the  wall.  From  sunrise  to  starlight  they 
labored. 

Internal  trouble.  The  next  difficulty  that  had  to  be 
met  came  from  within.  Work  on  the  walls  meant 
neglect  of  the  fields,  and  there  were  loan  sharks  who 
were  taking  advantage  of  the  situation  to  force  collec- 
tion of  interest  and  debts.  They  even  took  possession 
of  the  daughters  of  those  engaged  in  the  patriotic  work, 
as  slaves  for  their  fathers'  debts.  When  Nehemiah 
heard  the  sad  complaints  of  the  workers,  he  called  an 
assembly  and  roundly  rated  the  nobles  and  rulers,  who 
were  profiteering  at  a  time  when  all  must  sacrifice  to- 
gether, if  the  community  was  to  have  a  future.  He 
scornfully  contrasted  their  conduct  with  that  of  the  dis- 
tant exiles  who  were  accustomed  to  ransom  their 
brethren  who  had  fallen  into  slavery.  He  himself,  his 
brethren  and  servants,  were  lending  money  and  grain  to 
the  workers. 

His  plea  was  that  the  nobles  should  restore  the  fields, 
vineyards,  olive  yards,  and  houses  of  which  they  had 
obtained  possession  and  should  remit  one  per  cent,  of 


NEHEMIAH  REBUILDS  THE  WALLS        131 

the  money,  grain,  or  new  wine  due  them.  The  credit- 
ors at  last  assented  and  Nehemiah  called  the  priests  to 
put  them  under  oath  that  they  would  live  up  to  their 
promise.  The  governor  then  closed  the  assembly  in 
true  Oriental  fashion,  by  an  expressive,  symbolic  act, 
shaking  out  the  fold  or  lap  of  his  outer  garment,  which 
was  used  as  a  great  pocket  for  carrying  things,  saying 
as  he  did  so :  "  So  God  shake  out  every  man  from  his 
house,  and  from  his  labor,  that  performeth  not  this 
promise;  even  thus  be  he  shaken  out  and  emptied." 

Nehemiah's  royal  generosity.  It  had  been  custom- 
ary for  the  governors  to  exact  bread,  wine,  and  money 
for  themselves.  Even  their  servants  had  lorded  it 
over  the  people.  Nehemiah,  throughout  the  entire 
twelve  years  of  his  administration,  received  no  support 
for  himself  and  his  house  from  the  people.  On  the 
contrary  he  entertained  regularly  a  hundred  and  fifty 
of  the  principal  men  at  his  table,  besides  the  visitors 
who  came  from  the  peoples  round  about. 

Further  plots.  When  the  walls  were  finished,  but 
before  the  doors  of  the  gates  could  be  set  in  place,  San- 
ballat  and  Geshem  tried  another  plot,  and  rather  a 
stupid  one  that  could  hardly  hope  to  deceive  so  ex- 
perienced a  man  as  Nehemiah.  They  may  have 
thought  that  Nehemiah's  goodness  of  character  would 
lead  him  to  desire  so  earnestly  a  right  understanding 
with  opponents  that  he  would  risk  his  life  to  secure  it. 
They  proposed  a  conference  in  one  of  the  villages,  send- 
ing four  times,  but  Nehemiah,  perceiving  their  purpose 
to  do  him  harm,  invariably  replied  that  he  was  engaged 
in  a  great  work  and  could  not  interrupt  it  to  come. 


132      GREAT  LEADERS  OF  HEBREW  HISTORY 

Then  Sanballat  sent  a  messenger  with  an  open  letter, 
in  which  was  brought  up  the  old,  specious  charge  that 
Nehemiah  and  the  Jews  were  rebuilding  for  the  sake  of 
rebelling  against  the  Persian  king,  and  that  Nehemiah 
planned  to  be  king.  It  was  even  charged  that 
Nehemiah  had  appointed  prophets  to  preach  of  him 
saying,  "  There  is  a  king  in  Judah."  Sanballat  did  not 
put  forward  these  charges  in  his  own  name,  but  re- 
ported that  such  things  were  being  noised  about  and 
might  come  to  the  king's  ears.  It  would  be  advisable 
therefore  for  Nehemiah  to  take  counsel  with  him. 

It  is  not  at  all  improbable  that  the  too  eager  hopes  of 
Haggai  and  Zechariah  for  Zerubbabel  to  prove  the 
great  deliverer  of  the  Davidic  line  may  have  caused  the 
death  of  Zerubbabel.  Whether  Sanballat  was  threat- 
ening Nehemiah  with  such  a  fate  or  not,  he  was  prob- 
ably acquainted  with  the  Messianic  prophecies  of  the 
Jews.  These  might  be  cited  as  evidence  at  the  Persian 
court  against  any  one  who  sought  to  restore  Jerusalem 
to  strength  and  glory. 

Meeting  dangerous  threats  with  simple  denial  and 
calm  consciousness  of  innocence,  Nehemiah  had  next 
to  face  a  plot  that  would  have  discredited  him  with  the 
faithful  Jews,  if  it  had  proved  successful.  Tobiah  and 
Sanballat  hired  a  pretended  prophet  in  Jerusalem  to 
warn  Nehemiah  that  his  personal  safety  required  him 
to  take  refuge  in  the  temple.  If  the  governor  had 
heeded  the  warning,  he  could  have  been  accused  of  pro- 
faning the  temple  and,  perhaps,  of  usurping  the  rights 
of  the  priests  who  alone  could  enter  its  inner  precincts. 
Again  they  had  misjudged  their  man.     To  Nehemiah 


NEHEMIAH  REBUILDS  THE  WALLS        133 

the  sanctity  of  the   temple   was   of  more   importance 
than  his  own  life. 

Important  Biblical  references:  Nehemiah  i:  1-2:20;  4:  1-6: 
14;  6:  17. 


CHAPTER  XV 

NEHEMIAH    ESTABLISHES    JUDAISM 

Difficulty  of  guarding  the  city.  From  the  time  of 
Nehemiah's  arrival  in  Jerusalem  to  the  completion  of 
the  walls  was  about  two  months,  the  actual  building  re- 
quiring only  fifty-two  days.  Since  the  walls  were  re- 
stored on  their  old  lines  they  enclosed  an  area  far 
larger  than  needed  for  the  little  community  then  living 
in  Jerusalem.  This  made  the  guarding  of  the  city  from 
sneaking  night  attack  a  serious  difficulty.  As  the 
entire  wall  of  the  pre-exilic  city  enclosed  an  area  of 
not  more  than  about  half  a  mile  from  north  to  south 
or  east  to  west,  the  community  of  Nehemiah's  day 
must  have  been  indeed  few  in  numbers. 

The  guarding  of  the  city  was  intrusted  by  Nehemiah 
to  his  brother  and  to  the  governor  of  the  castle  who 
had  proved  himself  a  faithful  man.  Nehemiah's  strict 
orders  were  that  the  city  gates  should  not  be  opened 
in  the  morning  until  the  sun  was  hot  and  that  they 
should  be  carefully  barred  at  the  close  of  day.  Regu- 
larly organized  watches  were  appointed  from  the  in- 
habitants and  so  arranged  that  the  men  were  stationed 
over  against  their  own  houses. 

Nehemiah's  diary  and  Caesar's  Commentaries. 
The  vivid  story  of  Nehemiah's  first  weeks  in  Jeru- 
salem is  preserved  in  the  governor's  own  words.     His 

134 


NEHEMIAH  ESTABLISHES  JUDAISM        135 

diary  may  be  compared  with  the  Commentaries  of 
Julius  Ca?sar,  as  the  personal  account  of  events  given 
by  the  chief  actor  and  able  leader.  In  both  writings 
we  see  the  direct,  simple  nature  of  great  men  of  action. 
This  is  reflected  in  the  style  of  each.  Caesar,  read  as 
it  is  early  in  the  student's  course,  may  not  seem  like 
easy,  simple  Latin,  but  if  it  were  obscure  it  would 
not  be  selected  so  universally  as  the  best  work  to  intro- 
duce students  to  the  great  Roman  writers.  Nehe- 
miah's  memoir  is  one  of  the  simplest  and  most  direct 
pieces  of  writing  in  ancient  Hebrew  literature. 

Dedication  of  the  walls.  When  the  walls  were  com- 
pleted Nehemiah  instituted  joyous  festivities  in  celebra- 
tion of  the  great  event.  The  chief  men  of  Judah  took 
their  stand  upon  the  wall  in  two  companies,  with  the 
Levitical  trumpeters  and  the  people  following.  One 
company  went  to  the  right,  around  the  south  and  up 
the  east  side  of  the  city  above  the  valleys  of  Hinom 
and  Kidron.  Nehemiah  went  with  the  other  company 
along  the  western  and  northern  walls  until  they  met  the 
first  band,  on  the  eastern  side  of  the  city,  before  the 
temple.  Here  they  offered  sacrifices  with  rejoicing  and 
singing. 

Return  to  Susa  and  second  visit.  At  some  time 
after  the  walls  had  been  completed  and  dedicated,  and 
arrangements  made  for  the  safety  of  the  city,  it  was 
necessary  for  Nehemiah  to  return  to  his  royal  master  in 
far  Susa.  How  long  he  remained  in  Jerusalem  on  his 
first  visit  and  how  long  in  Susa  after  his  return  we  can- 
not tell.  About  432  B.  c,  twelve  years  after  the  dedi- 
cation of  the  restored  walls,  his  diary  shows  him  back 


136       GREAT  LEADERS  OF  HEBREW  HISTORY 

in   Jerusalem,    with    many    difficulties    to    face    there. 

The  high  priest  and  Tobiah.  The  high  priest, 
Eliashib,  being  allied  by  marriage  to  Tobiah  the  trou- 
blesome Ammonite,  had  set  aside  a  great  room  con- 
nected with  the  temple  for  the  use  of  this  alien.  The 
room  was  one  designed  as  a  storage  place  for  meal  of- 
ferings and  incense  brought  to  the  house  of  God. 
Nehemiah  speedily  cleared  out  the  household  stuff  of 
Tobiah  and  had  the  room  devoted  again  to  its  proper 
uses.  The  fact  that  the  high  priest  preferred  his  per- 
sonal associations  with  a  foreigner  to  the  proper  uses 
of  the  temple  precincts  shows  how  difficult  it  was  to 
separate  the  Jewish  community  even  at  the  center  of  its 
religious  life. 

Grandson  of  high  priest  expelled.  Failure  to  sup- 
port priests.  The  grandson  of  Eliashib  had  now  mar- 
ried the  daughter  of  the  wily  Sanballat.  Doubtless  the 
Horonite  expected  through  this  alliance  to  secure  ulti- 
mate predominance  for  Samaritan  influence  in  the 
temple  and  Jerusalem.  Nehemiah  summarily  drove 
the  priest's  grandson  out  of  Jerusalem.  Such  action 
would,  of  course,  have  been  quite  impossible  had  he 
not  had  the  confidence  and  full  authority  of  the  Per- 
sian monarch  behind  his  efforts.  The  priests  may  have 
excused  themselves  for  making  the  best  alliances  they 
could  in  the  district  by  the  fact  that  the  rulers  had 
failed  to  see  to  the  proper  collection  of  the  tenth  part 
of  the  grain,  wine,  and  oil  for  the  regular  support  of 
the  Levites.  Under  such  conditions  members  of  the 
priestly  tribe  were  forced  to  labor  in  the  fields  for 
their  own  sustenance. 


NEHEMIAH  ESTABLISHES  JUDAISM        137 

Enforcing  Sabbath  observance.  Along  with  laxity 
as  to  the  support  ol  the  priestly  order  went  neglect  of 
Sabbath  observance.  Some  were  treading  the  wine 
presses  or  loading  their  asses  and  bringing  into  Jeru- 
salem their  grain,  wine,  grapes,  and  figs  for  sale  on  the 
Sabbath  day.  Foreigners,  too,  fishmongers  from  Tyre, 
plied  their  trade  on  the  day  of  rest.  For  all  this, 
Nehemiah  called  the  nobles  to  sharp  account.  He  also 
gave  orders  that  the  gates  of  the  city  should  be  closed 
as  it  began  to  grow  dark  before  the  Sabbath  and  should 
not  be  reopened  until  the  morning  of  the  day  after. 
To  make  still  more  certain  that  the  orders  were  carried 
out  and  no  burden  brought  in  on  the  sacred  day,  he  ap- 
pointed some  of  his  own  servants  over  the  gates.  Once 
or  twice  the  sellers  of  all  kinds  of  wares  lodged  outside 
the  walls  till  the  Sabbath  was  over,  but  when  Nehemiah 
threatened  them  with  arrest,  they  ceased  to  come.  We 
can  well  imagine  that  there  would  be  little  quiet  for 
the  city  with  such  a  camp  just  outside  the  gates. 

Reforming  mixed  marriages.  On  this  visit,  Ne- 
hemiah dealt  very  sternly  with  all  those  who  had  inter- 
married with  the  Philistines,  Ammonites,  and  Moab- 
ites,  whose  children  often  did  not  know  the  language  of 
their  fathers.  Unity  of  language  in  any  age  proves 
one  of  the  most  vital  factors  in  preserving  national 
unity  of  thought  and  feeling.  Nehemiah  was  justified 
in  his  stern  attitude  toward  any  such  intermixture  at 
this  time.  His  procedure  in  striking  and  pulling  out 
the  hair  of  those  who  were  especial  offenders  seems 
strange  to  us  in  a  royal  governor;  but  it  is  not  wholly 
different  from  the  kind  of  admonition  customarily  ad- 


138      GREAT  LEADERS  OF  HEBREW  HISTORY 

ministered  to   natives   in  Palestine   in   modern   times. 

The  Samaritan  temple  and  community.  Driving 
out  the  high  priest's  grandson  who  had  married  the 
daughter  of  Sanballat  had  very  far  reaching  conse- 
quences. Down  to  the  twentieth  century  A.  D.,  there 
have  continued  to  live  on  the  site  of  ancient  Shechem 
a  little  company  of  Samaritans,  with  their  own  high 
priest  and  with  ancient  copies  of  the  Pentateuch  which 
constitutes  their  Bible.  This  high  priest  is  the  successor 
of  the  grandson  of  Eliashib  whom  Nehemiah  drove  out 
from  Jerusalem.  Sanballat  built  a  temple  on  Mount 
Gerizim  and  established  his  son-in-law,  the  heir  of  the 
Jewish  priesthood,  at  its  head  to  conduct  worship  there 
after  the  manner  prescribed  in  the  Pentateuchal  law. 

The  Samaritans  ceased  to  contend  for  the  right  to 
•worship  in  Jerusalem  and  instead  maintained  the  legi- 
timacy of  their  own  place  of  worship.  This  stood  on 
the  ancient  mountain  where  Deuteronomy  declared  that 
the  blessings  were  to  be  pronounced  when  Israel  first 
entered  the  land.  On  this  spot,  sacred  in  the  tradition 
of  the  past,  and  with  an  unquestioned  descendant  of 
David's  priest  Zadok  to  perform  the  ceremonies,  the 
Samaritans  could  make  a  strong  claim  for  the  ortho- 
doxy of  their  worship. 

Four  hundred  and  fifty  years  after  Nehemiah  chased 
the  young  priest  from  him,  the  discussion  was  still  rife 
between  Jews  and  Samaritans  as  to  the  true  place  of 
worship.  As  Jesus  sat  by  the  well  at  the  foot  of  Geri- 
zim, the  woman  with  whom  he  talked  raised  the  old 
debate,  saying,  "  Our  fathers  worshipped  in  this  moun- 
tain, but  ye  say  that  Jerusalem  is  the  place  where  men 


The    Samaritan    High    Priest    Jacob    leading    the    Passover    Service 


NEHEMIAH  ESTABLISHES  JUDAISM        139 

ought  to  worship."  The  Gerizim,  like  the  Jerusalem 
temple,  long  ago  disappeared,  but  when  the  present 
writer  visited  the  Samaritan  sacred  mountain  in  the 
spring  of  19 13,  there  was  on  the  summit  a  space  en- 
closed by  a  low  stone  wall  with  a  shallow  pit  in  the 
center,  where  the  Samaritan  community,  reduced  to  less 
than  two  hundred  members,  still  sacrifice  the  passover. 
In  recent  years,  the  high  priest  has  visited  Europe, 
trying  to  sell  for  a  large  sum  an  ancient  manuscript  of 
the  Pentateuch.  Poor,  but  maintaing  much  dignity  of 
manner,  this  priest  has  been  wont  to  receive  visiting 
tourists  and  to  display  to  them  a  large  scroll  of  the 
law,  not  however,  the  most  ancient  and  valuable  in 
the  possession  of  the  community. 

Temple  tax.  We  have  been  following  down  the 
centuries  one  aspect  of  the  profound  and  prolonged  in- 
fluence of  Nehemlah,  and  that  not  the  most  Important. 
A  more  significant  thing  was  the  fact  that  the  worship 
Malachi  found  so  wretchedly  maintained  a  few  years 
before,  never  again  fell  into  disrepute  through  complete 
neglect  and  Indifference  on  the  part  of  the  people. 
When  Titus's  soldiers  breached  the  city  walls  in  70 
A.  D.,  the  Jerusalem  priests  perished,  calmly  performing 
the  sacrifices  at  the  altar.  Nehemlah,  with  his  practical 
foresight,  had  provided  against  any  such  shabby  serv- 
ice as  he  found,  by  the  provision  of  a  regular  temple  tax 
to  be  paid  by  each  Jew.  This  was  at  first  one-third  of 
a  shekel,  but  a  little  later  was  increased  to  one-half  of  a 
shekel,  as  we  find  It  in  Jesus'  day. 

Nehemiah  preserver  of  Judaism.  Purity  of  blood. 
To  no  small  extent,  the  existence  of  the  Jewish  people 


I40       GREAT  LEADERS  OF  HEBREW  HISTORY 

as  a  separate  race  and  religion  to-day  Is  due  to  the 
work  of  Nehemlah.  Malachi  and  Ezra  might  pro- 
test against  foreign  Intermarriage,  but  Nehemlah  was 
In  a  position  to  put  a  stop  to  the  practice  by  the  only 
means  that  could  have  been  effective  at  that  time,  the 
authority  of  the  Persian  government.  The  opposi- 
tion of  the  Jewish  people  to  Intermarrying  with  those 
of  other  faiths  has  unquestionably  been  one  of  the 
greatest  forces  In  preserving  them  from  being  absorbed 
by  the  peoples  of  other  races  and  religions  among 
whom  they  have  lived  through  all  these  centuries. 

Sabbath.  Another  persistent  force  In  maintaining 
the  Jews  as  a  separate  people  has  been  the  observance 
of  the  seventh  day  as  a  day  of  rest  from  regular  busi- 
ness. In  America  this  distinction  is,  to  some  extent, 
breaking  down,  but  among  the  more  rigidly  orthodox 
Jews  It  Is  still  maintained  faithfully  throughout  the 
world.  The  Babylonian  exile  apparently  led  to  a 
much  greater  emphasis  upon  the  Sabbath  than  was 
known  In  Judea  before  the  destruction  of  the  city.  The 
day  of  rest  was  one  of  their  religious  institutions  that 
could  be  maintained  while  the  temple  was  In  ruins  and 
they  themselves  were  far  from  the  sacred  land.  It 
is  evident  that  those  who  had  been  left  behind  in  Judea 
and  who  had  rebuilt  the  temple  cared  far  less  for  the 
rigid  observance  of  the  day  than  Nehemlah  who  came 
from  the  distant  exiles.  Again,  it  was  only  by  the 
fullest  exercise  of  his  authority  as  governor  that  it  was 
at  all  possible  to  establish  a  real  Sabbath  In  Jerusalem. 

Necessity  of  walls.  To  all  the  work  of  separation, 
the  strong  walls  which  Nehemlah  had  erected  imme- 


NEHKMIAH  ESTABLISHES  JUDAISM        141 

diately  upon  his  first  arrival  were  a  necessary  prelimin- 
ary. Without  their  protection,  the  neighboring 
peoples  would  surely  have  found  opportunity  for  re- 
venge had  any  drastic  reform  of  the  mixed  marriages 
been  undertaken.  It  would  have  been  quite  impossible, 
too,  to  stop  the  traders  who  came  to  the  city  on  the 
Sabbath,  without  the  stout  gates.  Without  those  same 
strong  walls  and  gates,  it  would  have  been  difficult  or 
impossible  to  prevent  Sanballat  and  his  Samaritans 
from  sharing  in  the  temple  worship  as  they  liked.  Be- 
hind the  barriers  of  wood  and  stone,  it  was  possible 
to  build  up  habits  of  separation  in  worship,  marriage, 
and  the  observance  of  a  day  of  rest  that  could  endure 
centuries  after  the  temple  and  city  walls  should  fall  to 
ruin. 

Important  Biblical  references:  Nehemiah  6:  15-7:4;  12:  3 1- 
43:13;  10:32-33;  Matthew  17:24-27. 


CHAPTER  XVI 

EZRA    AND   THE    BIBLE 

Connection  of  Ezra  and  Nehemiah.  As  an  example 
of  effective  cooperation  between  two  men  of  different 
types,  the  work  of  Nehemiah  and  Ezra  is  even  more 
striking  than  that  of  Haggai  and  Zecharlah.  We  can- 
not determine  the  time  relation  between  the  two,  with 
the  same  certainty  and  detail,  that  we  can  in  the  case 
of  the  builders  of  the  temple.  Ezra  is  said  to  have 
come  to  Jerusalem  from  Babylon  in  the  seventh  year 
of  Artaxerxes.  If  this  date  Is  correct  and  the  Artax- 
erxes  meant  Is  the  first  of  that  name,  he  arrived  In 
458  B.  c,  some  thirteen  years  before  Nehemiah. 
There  are  strong  grounds,  however,  for  believing  that 
Nehemlah's  work  of  rebuilding  the  walls  had  been 
carried  out  before  Ezra's  arrival.  If  Artaxerxes  II  is 
intended,  the  date  of  Ezra's  coming  will  be  more  than 
thirty  years  later  than  Nehemlah's  second  visit. 

Perhaps  the  most  probable  supposition  is  that  Ezra 
came  soon  after  Nehemlah's  first  journey  and  co- 
operated with  the  governor  in  the  reforms  he  under- 
took. In  this  connection,  some  have  supposed  that 
the  date  of  Ezra's  mission  was  the  twenty-seventh 
year  of  Artaxerxes  I  and  that  this  became  changed  to 
the  seventh  year  in  the  records.  That  would  bring  his 
arrival  in  Jerusalem  seven  years  later  than  Nehemlah's 

142 


EZRA  AND  THE  BIBLE  143 

first  visit  and  make  it  possible  for  him  to  have  worked 
at  the  same  time  with  Nehemiah. 

Foreign  marriages.  HostiHty  to  the  mixed  mar- 
riages was  one  of  the  most  prominent  of  the  reforms 
associated  with  Ezra's  mission.  Like  Malachi  and 
Nehemiah  he  was  deeply  impressed  with  the.  dangers 
for  Judah  and  her  religion  involved  in  amalgamation 
with  foreign  peoples.  If  he  did  reach  Jerusalem  be- 
fore Nehemiah,  it  appears  that  he  took  up  the  matter 
wuth  the  people,  as  Malachi  had  done,  before  the  gov- 
ernor came  and  dealt  with  it.  Without  political 
authority,  Ezra  could  use  only  such  influence  as  his 
position  in  the  priesthood  and  his  coming  with  the 
royal  approval  gave  him.  Accordingly,  we  read  of 
Ezra's  falling  on  his  knees  with  his  garments  rent,  at 
the  time  of  the  evening  oblation,  and  offering  a  prayer 
of  deep  humiliation  for  the  people  on  account  of  this 
national  evil.  Thus  the  people,  it  is  said,  were  moved 
to  penitence  and  promised  to  abandon  the  practice. 
It  is  clear,  however,  from  Nehemiah's  own  account  of 
his  second  visit  to  Jerusalem,  in  the  year  432,  that 
there  had  been  no  thoroughgoing  reform  in  this  matter 
until  he  took  the  forcible  measures  which  his  civil 
authority  made  possible.  Whatever  efforts  Ezra  may 
have  made  in  this  direction  had  failed  of  very  decisive 
results. 

Ezra  the  Scribe.  Ezra  appears  as  the  one  who  led 
the  people  in  the  willing  adoption  of  the  laws  and  prac- 
tices which  Nehemiah's  work  made  possible.  He  is 
called  priest  and  scribe  and  is  thus  counted  the  head 
of  the  long  line  of  scribes,  or  students  of  the  law,  who 


144      GREAT  LEADERS  OF  HEBREW  HISTORY 

played  so  prominent  a  part  in  later  Judaism  and  appear 
so  frequently  in  the  narrative  of  the  Gospels.  If,  as 
we  have  supposed  probable,  Ezra  came  to  Jerusalem 
as  early  as  the  twenty-seventh  year  of  Artaxerxes  I 
(438  B.  c),  his  master  work,  in  promulgating  the  law 
before  a  great  assembly  of  the  people  and  securing  its 
willing  adoption,  is  to  be  placed  in  close  connection  with 
the  rebuilding  and  dedicating  of  the  walls,  at  the  time 
of  Nehemiah's  first  visit. 

Historical  importance  of  adopting  the  law.  This 
adoption  of  the  law  is  a  subject  that  must  be  treated 
at  some  length  since  it  is  a  very  important  matter  in 
understanding  the  whole  course  of  Jewish  history.  We 
have  read  the  story  of  the  writing  and  formal  adoption 
of  the  law  of  Deuteronomy  about  two  centuries  before 
the  work  of  Nehemiah  and  Ezra.  Deuteronomy  then 
became  the  great  standard  (or  canon)  by  which  the 
Jewish  writers  judged  all  the  leaders  of  the  nation  and 
explained  the  national  prosperity  and  misfortune.  At 
the  time  of  Josiah  and  even  during  the  exile,  it  is  evi- 
dent that  the  great  law  book  of  Leviticus  was  unknown 
to  any  leader  of  Jewish  life  and  thought,  whether 
prophet,  priest,  historian,  or  king. 

The  oral  priestly  law.  The  priests  were  accustomed 
to  determine  the  correct  practice  in  all  matters  con- 
cerning the  observance  of  religious  festivals,  cere- 
monial cleanness,  and  similar  subjects  that  were  not 
provided  for  by  the  law  of  Deuteronomy.  When,  in 
the  period  of  the  monarchy,  priest  and  prophet  became 
distinguished  as  having  different  services  to  perform, 
the  prophets  became  the  preachers  who  taught  God's 


EZRA  AND  THE  BIBLE  145 

nature  and  his  will  for  man's  moral  conduct,  while  the 
priests  continued  to  be  the  interpreters  of  his  will  as 
to  religious  forms  and  ceremonies.  So  long  as  the 
temple  stood  and  the  worship  went  on  in  its  regular 
order,  the  Jerusalem  priests  could  hand  down  the  tra- 
ditional rules  for  offering  sacrifices  and  all  such  matters 
to  the  young  men  who  were  in  their  turn  to  become 
full  fledged  priests.  It  was  not  necessary  to  commit 
such  matters  to  writing. 

Necessity  for  writing  the  priestly  law.  With  the 
destruction  of  the  temple  In  586  B.  c.  and  the  cessation 
of  regular  worship,  many  details  of  the  proper  forms 
of  sacrifice  were  in  danger  of  being  forgotten,  or  be- 
coming subjects  of  dispute  among  the  priests  who  re- 
membered them  differently.  By  the  time  the  temple 
was  rebuilt,  probably  all  the  priests  who  had  been  old 
enough  to  perform  the  full  functions  of  their  office  be- 
fore Its  destruction  were  dead. 

Just  such  conditions  and  needs  led  to  the  writing 
down  of  various  parts  of  the  Bible.  So  long,  for  ex- 
ample, as  the  actual  witnesses  of  Jesus'  deeds  and 
words  were  actively  teaching,  little  need  was  felt  for 
written  records  of  his  ministry.  When  the  living  wit- 
nesses began  to  pass  away,  the  written  Gospels  became 
necessary.  So,  with  the  destruction  of  the  temple  and 
the  possibility  that  its  hallowed  usages  might  be  for- 
gotten, the  exiled  priests  in  Babylonia  undertook  in 
earnest  a  compilation  of  the  temple  laws. 

The  Holiness  Code.  Influenced  by  Isaiah's  thought 
that  Jehovah  was  holy  and  that  his  people  must  keep 
themselves   more   holy   than   in    the   past,    the    priests 


146       GREAT  LEADERS  OF  HEBREW  HISTORY 

gathered  together  a  group  of  rules  to  secure  national 
holiness.  So  often  does  the  word  occur  in  this  collec- 
tion of  laws  that  modern  scholars  have  named  it  the 
"  Holiness  Code."  With  Isaiah,  the  Divine  holiness 
had  been  interpreted  as  the  ground  for  demanding 
moral  conduct  of  man,  right  dealings  in  business  and 
government.  With  the  priestly  compilers  of  the  holi- 
ness code,  ceremonial  purity  is  more  prominent  than 
moral. 

Laws  concerning  the  offering  of  animal  sacrifices  are 
especially  emphasized,  with  particular  stress  upon  the 
prohibition  of  eating  the  blood.  This  is  the  life  and 
it  must  be  offered  to  Jehovah  on  the  altar.  Other 
laws  prescribe  at  length  the  degrees  of  kinship  within 
which  marriage  is  prohibited,  and  the  rules  of  cere- 
monial cleanness,  especially  for  priests.  The  seventh 
year  of  release  for  Hebrew  slaves,  prominent  in  the 
earlier  laws,  is  now  elaborated  into  the  full  system 
of  seven  sabbatical  periods  to  be  followed  by  the  great 
year  of  Jubilee  when  fields  that  have  been  sold  shall 
revert  to  the  original  owners,  and  Hebrews  who  have 
fallen  into  slavery  shall  be  freed. 

Further  development  of  the  priestly  law.  After 
the  Law  of  Holiness  had  been  compiled  by  the  priests, 
in  the  early  years  of  the  exile,  Ezekiel  the  priest- 
prophet  drew  up  his  plan  for  the  restored  community. 
In  this  he  elaborated  some  matters  of  Levitical  organi- 
zation. 

As  the  years  went  by,  the  priests  of  the  exile  were 
not  fully  satisfied  with  the  laws  and  kept  writing  down 
still  more  detailed  regulations  concerning  the  approved 


EZRA  AND  THE  BIBLE  147 

methods  of  observing  sacrifices,  festivals,  and  purifi- 
cations. Some  of  these  rules,  no  doubt,  represented 
the  practice  as  it  had  been  In  Solomon's  temple.  Many 
are  very  clearly  developments  of  the  earlier  practices. 
Like  Ezeklel's  plan  for  the  restored  \yorship,  they  rep- 
resent ideals  by  which  it  Is  thought  greater  dignity  and 
purity  of  worship  may  be  maintained  in  the  restored 
temple. 

The  book  of  Leviticus.  The  work  of  adding  to  the 
law  probably  went  forward  among  the  priests  of  Baby- 
lonia even  after  the  rebuilding  of  Jerusalem  and  the 
temple.  At  length  the  Law  of  Holiness  and  a  great 
number  of  these  more  detailed  laws  of  worship  were 
combined,  with  some  narrative  material  of  priestly  in- 
terest, Into  a  considerable  law  book  which  has  come 
down  to  us  under  the  name  Leviticus.  Like  Deuteron- 
omy, it  was  considered  the  law  of  Moses.  Such 
it  was  in  the  sense  that  Moses  was  the  founder  of  the 
priestly  institutions  of  Israel,  and  the  later  laws  were 
a  growth   from  the  seeds  which  he  planted  so  well. 

Day  of  Atonement.  One  great  religious  festival 
appears  for  the  first  time  in  the  Holiness  Code  and 
is  made  very  prominent  in  the  later  part  of  Leviticus. 
This  is  the  Day  of  Atonement.  Israel's  earlier  festi- 
vals were  joyous,  pastoral  and  agricultural  feasts,  some- 
what like  our  Thanksgiving  day  when  the  Divine 
bounty  is  celebrated  with  feasting  and  merry  making. 
The  Passover,  used  as  the  memorial  of  deliverance 
from  Egypt,  embodied  the  earlier  shepherd  festival 
of  rejoicing  at  the  gift  of  the  spring  lambs  with  the 
recognition   of   the   beginning  of   the   barley  harvest. 


148      GREAT  LEADERS  OF  HEBREW  HISTORY 

The  Feast  of  Weeks  celebrated  the  wheat  harvest, 
and  the  Ingathering  came  at  the  joyous  time  of  camp- 
ing in  the  vineyards  and  gathering  the  grapes. 

The  Day  of  Atonement  is  very  different  from  these 
earlier  festivals  of  thanksgiving  and  rejoicing.  It  is 
a  time  of  deep  humiliation  and  confession  of  sin.  The 
only  happiness  associated  with  it  is  the  solemn  joy  of 
assurance  of  guilt  forgiven,  when  the  quaint  ceremony 
has  been  performed  of  laying  the  sins  of  the  people  on 
the  head  of  the  scapegoat  and  thus  sending  them  far 
off  into  the  wilderness.  The  symbolism  suggests 
Zechariah's  visions  of  sin  as  the  woman  in  the  ephah 
flying  off  to  Babylon  or  as  filthy  garments  taken  from 
the  high  priest.  The  exile  had  brought  a  deep  sense 
of  the  displeasure  of  God;  henceforth  some  great  act 
of  atonement  was  needed  to  bring  to  the  people  a  sense 
of  guilt  forgiven. 

The  adoption  of  the  priestly  law.  It  was  the  law 
of  the  book  of  Leviticus,  now  for  the  first  time  promul- 
gated in  Palestine,  which  Ezra  read  to  the  people 
assembled  at  Jerusalem.  The  time  of  the  year  was 
the  early  autumn,  the  season  when  the  law  directed 
a  week's  camping  out  in  booths  or  huts  made  of  the 
thick  branches  of  palms  and  willows  from  the  river's 
bank.  The  celebration  was  now  undertaken  with 
public  confession  of  sin  and  covenant  to  keep  the  law. 

The  priestly  history.  The  Babylonian  priests  who 
compiled  the  law  of  Leviticus  also  composed  a  history 
of  antiquity  from  Adam  to  Joshua,  designed  to  make 
especially  prominent  Israel's  covenant  relation  with 
Jehovah  and  to  emphasize  such  institutions  as  the  Sab- 


EZRA  AND  THE  BIHLE  149 

bath,  the  rite  of  circumcision,  and  the  temple  worship. 
Another  prominent  aim  of  this  priestly  history  was  to 
show  the  genealogical  connections  of  the  Hebrews  with 
their  ancestors  back  to  the  beginnings  of  the  human 
race.  Into  this  history  the  authors  fitted  the  book  of 
Leviticus,  in  connection  with  the  narrative  of  events  at 
Sinai. 

The  two  great  histories  of  antiquity.  The  Baby- 
lonian Jews  now  had  two  histories  telling  the  story  of 
the  past  from  the  creation  of  man  through  the  con- 
quest of  Palestine.  Each  of  these  histories  included 
a  great  law  book  containing  the  commands  supposed 
to  have  been  given  through  Moses.  The  earlier  of 
these  histories,  we  noted  in  Chapter  I,  was  compiled 
largely  in  Manasseh's  reign,  but  it  was  reedited  dur- 
ing the  exile  when  the  law  of  Deuteronomy  was  em- 
bodied in  it.  This  we  call  "  the  prophetic  history  " 
because  its  writers  and  editors  were  men  filled  with  the 
spirit  of  the  prophets.  They  were  interested  in  the 
moral  character  of  God  and  man  more  than  in  cere- 
monies and  religious  organizations.  When  we  studied 
Deuteronomy,  we  saw  that  it  was  a  revision  of  the 
older  law  code,  under  the  influence  of  the  teachings 
of  the  great  eighth  century  prophets.  The  prophetic 
law  book  Deuteronomy  was  the  final  standard  of  con- 
duct as  judged  by  the  editors  of  the  prophetic  history. 
The  history  composed  in  the  age  we  are  now  consider- 
ing, with  the  law  of  I^eviticus  as  its  center  and  final 
standard  of  conduct,  is  styled  "  the  priestly  history," 

The  completed  Hexateuch.  Not  long  after  the 
composition  of  the  later  work,  it  seemed  desirable  to 


I50      GREAT  LEADERS  OF  HEBREW  HISTORY 

some  priest  of  Babylonia  to  weave  together  these  two 
great  histories  into  one  treatise,  much  as  the  Judean 
and  Ephraimite  histories  had  been  united  in  Man- 
asseh's  time.  When  this  had  been  accomphshed,  the 
great  work  known  to-day  as  the  Hexateuch  was  com- 
pleted. We  know  this  work  as  six  books  under  the 
titles,  Genesis,  Exodus,  Leviticus,  Numbers,  Deutero- 
nomy, Joshua.  All  long  works  of  antiquity  had  to  be 
divided  into  short,  separate  books  because  the  strips 
of  parchment  on  which  they  were  written  were  of 
limited  length.  Students  of  Caesar,  Livy,  Virgil, 
Homer,  and  other  Roman  and  Greek  writers  are 
familiar  with  the  short  "  books  "  into  which  the  longer 
works  are  divided.  Originally  each  book  was  a  sepa- 
rate volume  or  rather  a  separate  roll.  So  the  Hexa- 
teuch, although  divided  into  six  books,  is  really,  in  its 
final  form,  a  well  ordered  and  connected  whole,  giving 
the  story  from  the  origin,  of  the  world  to  the  conquest 
of  Palestine,  as  the  Jews  knew  that  story  at  about  the 
year  400  B.  c. 

The  Torah  or  Pentateuch.  The  Jews  themselves 
saw  fit  to  separate  the  last  book  of  the  sixfold  work 
and  group  it  with  the  great  history  of  the  monarchy. 
This  makes  a  natural  division,  closing  the  history  of 
antiquity  with  the  death  of  Moses  and  beginning  the 
history  of  the  monarchy  with  the  conquest  of  the  land. 
To  the  five  books  thus  grouped  they  gave  the  name 
Torah,  law  or  instruction.  Christians  have  been  ac- 
customed to  call  this  group  the  Pentateuch,  or  fivefold. 

Whether  the  prophetic  and  priestly  histories  were 
already  compiled  when   Ezra   the   scribe   carried   the 


EZRA  AND  THE  BIBLE  151 

law  of  Leviticus  to  Jerusalem,  we  cannot  be  sure;  It 
can  hardly  have  been  much  later,  since  the  Samaritans 
have  the  Torah  in  almost  the  same  form  as  the  Jews. 
It  is  not  probable  that  they  would  have  this  unless  it 
were  already  the  Jewish  Bible  at  about  the  time  the 
separate  worship  was  established  on  Mt.  Gerizim. 

The  Pentateuch  the  Bible.  By  about  the  year  400 
B.  c.  we  can  say  with  confidence  that  the  Torah  or 
Pentateuch  had  been  completed,  separated  from  the 
book  of  Joshua,  and  accepted  by  the  Jews  of  Palestine 
as  their  supreme  guide  in  faith  and  practice.  The 
Torah  was  now  a  Bible,  the  Bible  both  of  Jew  and 
Samaritan.  It  has  remained  the  complete  Bible  of  the 
Samaritans  and,  although  the  Jews  have  added  other 
books  to  their  Bible,  the  Orthodox  have  never  put 
them  on  the  same  level  as  "  the  five  books  of  Moses." 
Ezra  the  scribe  played  an  important  role  in  developing 
the  Jews  into  "  the  people  of  the  book  "  as  Mohammed 
called  them,  a  thousand  years  after  Ezra's  day. 

Important  Biblical  references:  Ezra  7:1-10;  9:1-10:17; 
Nehemiah  8;  10:28-31;  Leviticus  17;  16:  1-22. 


CHAPTER  XVII 

JOEL  INTERPRETS  A  CALAMITY 

Locust  plagues  in  Palestine.  After  the  reforms  of 
Nehemiah  and  Ezra  had  been  carried  out  —  we  can- 
not say  just  how  long  after  —  there  came  upon  Pales- 
tine one  of  the  plagues  of  locusts  which  occasionally 
visit  the  land.  When  they  come  they  leave  stark 
famine  in  their  train.  Such  visitations  have  occurred 
in  modern  times,  the  most  recent  in  the  spring  of  19 15. 
Countless  swarms  of  larvas  moved  over  the  land  de- 
stroying every  green  and  growing  thing.  In  solid 
masses  they  crawled  up  and  over  the  high  walls  of 
gardens  and  up  the  walls  and  into  the  windows  of  the 
houses.  No  obstacle  could  turn  them  aside  from  their 
resistless  advance  over  the  land.  The  season's  crop 
of  green  vegetables  had  just  begun  to  appear  in  the 
market  when'  these  ravenous  grubs  came.  The  next 
day  no  vegetables  were  to  be  bought.  Both  in  the 
caterpillar  stage  and  in  the  matured  form  of  flying 
locusts,  similar  to  the  grasshoppers  which  devastated 
the  farms  of  Kansas  a  half  century  ago,  they  devoured 
every  growing  thing  upon  which  they  came. 

Joel's  description  of  the  plague.  A  similar  plague 
which  came  upon  Judah  twenty-three  centuries  earlier 
is  described  by  the  prophet  Joel.  There  had  been  no 
such  visitation  within  the  memory  of  the  people  of  that 

152 


^^TjP^W|^  *             '■•^ 

|»P^.<...... 

llie    Attacking    Hosts   of   tlic    Locust    IMaguc   of    1915    \.  D. 


JOEL  INTERPRETS  A  CALAMITY  153 

day.  The  prophet  felt  that  the  tradition  of  it  would 
be  handed  down  for  generations  to  come.  The  succes- 
sive waves  of  the  creatures  ate  every  growing  thing, 
even  stripping  bare  of  their  bark  the  young  shoots  of 
the  fig  trees,  leaving  them  white  and  dead. 

The  ancient  writer  describes  the  appearance  and 
noise  of  the  destructive  swarms  in  most  picturesque 
language,  likening  their  advance  to  that  of  an  invad- 
ing army.  The  descriptions  are  strikingly  poetic  and 
yet  they  are  just  as  true  to  life  as  though  a  modern 
scientific  observer  had  written  them  in  the  most  prosaic 
language.  We  note  especially  the  description  of  the 
orderly  advance  in  which  the  ranks  are  not  broken  even 
when  they  climb  a  wall;  no  one  thrusts  another,  but 
each  keeps  his  own  place.  Before  them  the  land  is  like 
the  garden  of  Eden;  behind  it  is  a  desolate  wilderness. 

In  any  generation  such  a  plague  means  unmeasured 
suffering  to  the  people,  but  in  Joel's  time,  little  Judah 
was  estranged  from  her  immediate  neighbors  and  her 
more  fortunate  kinsmen  were  living  at  a  great  distance. 
It  would  take  many  weeks  for  the  news  of  the  calamity 
to  reach  them.  It  would  be  very  difficult  for  them  to 
send  any  adequate  supplies  of  food;  at  best,  this  would 
take  several  months.  Under  such  conditions  the 
calamity  meant  despair. 

The  desolate  vineyards  can  produce  no  wine  even 
for  the  drink  offering  of  the  temple.  Without  grain, 
oil,  or  wine,  the  regular  offerings  of  the  temple,  for 
which  such  careful  provision  has  been  made  in  the 
newly  adopted  law,  cannot  be  maintained.  To  Joel 
this  seems  the  greatest  calamity  of  all.     The  temple 


154      GREAT  LEADERS  OF  HEBREW  HISTORY 

has  been  rebuilt,  the  protecting  walls  of  the  city  have 
made  possible  the  guarding  of  its  worship  from  foreign 
intruders,  the  regular  temple  tax  has  provided  funds 
for  maintaining  the  worship,  and  the  people  have 
learned  to  beheve  that  through  all  this  Jehovah's  favor 
would  be  so  won  that  he  would  make  prosperity  to 
abound  in  the  land.  Now  the  grain,  wine,  and  fruit 
are  all  lacking  and  the  cattle  even  are  dying.  It  seems 
that  the  worship  restored  with  such  labor  and  such 
hopes  must  cease. 

Influence  of  earlier  prophets  on  Joel.  Joel  has  evi- 
dently read  and  pondered  through  his  youth  the  great 
messages  of  the  prophets  who  had  gone  before.  He 
recalls  Amos's  prediction  of  the  day  of  the  Lord  as  a 
day  of  darkness  and  destruction.  He  remembers  how 
Zephaniah  had  pictured  this  coming  day  as  one  when 
Jehovah  would  consume  man  and  beast  from  off  the 
face  of  the  ground.  It  seemed  to  him  that  now  these 
forecasts  of  the  prophets  of  old  were  being  realized. 
He  cried  out,  "  Alas  for  the  day!  for  the  day  of  Jeho- 
vah is  at  hand,  and  as  destruction  from  the  Almighty 
shall  it  come."  "  The  day  of  Jehovah  cometh,  for  it 
is  nigh  at  hand;  a  day  of  darkness  and  gloominess,  a 
day  of  clouds  and  thick  darkness."  "  The  day  of 
Jehovah  is  great  and  very  terrible  and  who  can  abide 
it?" 

Call  to  repentance.  With  these  warnings,  echoing 
from  the  prophets  who  had  first  taught  Israel  to  see 
that  their  God  could  not  bless  a  nation  that  did  not  do 
justly  and  love  mercy  and  walk  humbly  before  him, 
Joel  called  upon  the  men  of  his  day  to  repent.     He 


JOEL  INTERPRETS  A  CALAxMITY  155 

bade  them  rend  their  hearts,  weep  and  mourn,  and 
turn  unto  Jehovah  with  sincerity.  He  remembered 
also  that  their  God  had  revealed  himself  to  Moses  as 
merciful  and  gracious,  slow  to  anger  and  abundant  in 
loving  kindness.  He  recalled  the  teaching  of  Jeremiah 
that,  if  a  nation  turned  from  its  evil,  the  Lord  would 
repent  of  the  evil  which  he  had  spoken  and  determined 
against  them. 

Joel's  great  lack.  Alas,  with  all  Joel's  intimate  ac- 
quaintance with  the  very  words  of  the  earlier  prophets, 
he  had  not  comprehended  their  most  essential  ideas. 
He  did  understand  that  men  should  walk  humbly 
before  Jehovah,  but  he  did  not  understand  that,  first 
and  foremost,  the  Lord  demanded  justice  and  kind- 
ness. He  did  not  realize  that  God  desired  mercy 
rather  than  sacrifices.  Joel  called  for  true  penitence 
rather  than  outward  signs;  they  should  rend  their 
hearts  and  not  their  garments.  He  urged  a  fast  and 
solemn  assembly,  with  the  priests  standing  between 
the  temple  porch  and  the  altar,  praying  for  the  spar- 
ing of  the  people,  that  they  might  not  again  be  humili- 
ated so  that  the  nations  should  raise  the  old  taunting 
cry,  "Where  is  now  their  God?"  Forms  and  cere- 
monies practiced  in  sincerity,  these  Joel  counted  the 
means  of  access  to  the  Divine  favor. 

The  night  of  legalism.  With  this  prophet  we  find 
ourselves  fully  entered  upon  the  legalistic  period  of 
Judaism.  From  the  adoption  of  a  fixed  standard  in 
the  law  of  Deuteronomy  on  through  the  work  of  Ne- 
hemiah  and  Ezra,  the  prophet,  seer  of  new  truth,  has 
been  losing  ground  before  the  priest,  administrator  of 


156       GREAT  LEADERS  OF  HEBREW  HISTORY 

fixed  law.  One  writer  has  styled  the  age  upon  which 
we  have  now  entered,  "  the  night  ot  legalism."  The 
night  will  advance  into  deeper  darkness  until  the  full 
development  of  Pharisaism,  very  careful  to  pay  into 
the  treasury  the  exact  tenth  of  the  garden  herbs  which 
had  almost  no  value,  but  negligent  of  the  weightier 
matters  of  the  law,  justice  and  mercy. 

Joel  is  a  striking  example  of  the  extent  to  which 
even  a  man  learned  in  the  literature  of  former  genera- 
tions is  a  child  of  the  age  in  which  he  lives.  He  had 
studied  the  great  prophets,  had  learned  their  messages 
by  heart,  and  missed  the  main  point  of  their  teaching. 
He  belonged  to  an  age  in  which  it  was  necessary  to  lay 
great  emphasis  upon  the  forms  of  worship  if  Judaism 
was  to  be  kept  alive  at  all.  The  great  reforms  of 
Nehemiah  and  Ezra  have  secured  care  for  the  sacrifices, 
the  strict  observance  of  the  Sabbath,  and  the  complete 
separation  of  the  loyal  Jews  from  intermixture  with 
other  peoples.  Such  things  as  these  the  recognized 
leaders  of  Israel  will  insist  upon  and  defend  in  the 
years  to  come.  In  the  four  centuries  upon  which 
Judah  has  now  entered  the  voice  of  prophecy  will 
not  be  raised,  calling  in  the  name  of  the  Lord  for 
honesty  and  justice  in  business  and  in  the  law  courts 
and  for  kindness  to  the  widow  and  stranger. 

In  order  to  keep  itself  alive  and  to  preserve  faith 
in  a  God  not  made  with  hands,  during  these  trying 
centuries,  Judaism  had  to  put  its  energies  to  the  task 
of  keeping  separate  and  preserving  its  distinctive  wor- 
ship. This  we  shall  find  a  task  almost  beyond  the 
powers  of  the  group  around  Jerusalem  in  the  troublous 


JOEL  INTERPRETS  A  CALAMITY  157 

times  that  arc  to  come.  On  this  need  some  of  their 
greatest  leaders  had  to  center  all  their  powers  until 
the  fullness  of  time  should  come  and  John  the  Baptist 
appear,  a  new  Elijah  with  the  old  prophetic  message 
of  righteousness  and  hope. 

Meeting  the  immediate  crisis.  Joel  had  his  part  to 
play  in  the  age  in  which  he  lived  and  he  played  it  well, 
both  in  meeting  the  immediate  crisis  and  in  giving  new 
vision  for  the  future.  At  his  call  the  assembly  was 
held,  the  people  in  their  dire  extremity  humbled  them- 
selves before  God,  and  the  priests  prayed  that  he  would 
spare.  It  is  not  quite  clear  whether  the  devastation 
proved  less  complete  than  it  was  at  first  feared.  Per- 
haps the  late  spring  rains,  "  the  latter  rains,"  caused 
the  vegetation  to  spring  up  when  it  had  seemed  dead, 
or,  it  may  be,  that  it  was  only  after  the  rains  of  the 
next  fall  and  spring  that  the  life  of  the  field  was  re- 
newed. Whether  that  year  or  the  next,  crops  did 
come.  The  prophet  now  felt  that  the  Lord  had  shown 
pity  on  his  people  and  jealousy  for  his  land,  so  that 
they  should  not  be  a  reproach  among  the  nations.  Joel 
saw  that  the  plague  was  but  a  temporary  calamity  and 
he  felt  that  Jehovah  had  repented  of  the  evil  because 
the  people  had  turned  to  him  in  humble  supplication. 

Outlook  for  the  future.  After  the  deliverance  Joel 
called  attention  to  the  promise  of  the  prophets  that 
full  warning  would  be  given  before  the  great  day  of 
Jehovah  should  come.  He  had  thought  the  devasta- 
tion of  the  land  such  warning,  but  he  now  forsees  far 
greater  preparation.  Many  will  be  prophesying  be- 
fore that  day  comes.     The  old  men  will  be  dreaming 


158       GREAT  LEADERS  OF  HEBREW  HISTORY 

dreams  and  the  young  men  seeing  visions;  the  Divine 
Spirit  will  be  poured  out  upon  all.  There  will  be  signs 
and  wonders  in  the  heavens.  The  apocalyptic  promises 
of  Ezekiel  recur  to  the  prophet's  mind.  He  remem- 
bers that  the  great  seer  had  promised  a  day  when  the 
sacred  city,  fully  restored,  would  be  attacked  by  count- 
less enemies  and,  in  its  extremity,  manifestly  delivered 
by  the  power  of  God. 

Joel  does  not  merely  reproduce  Ezekiel's  vision. 
His  own  creative  powers  are  released  by  the  joy  of 
the  deliverance  that  has  come,  and  he  sees  a  splendid 
vision  of  that  great  day  of  the  Lord,  one  surpassed  by 
no  other  in  all  his  nation's  literature.  The  dispersed 
of  Judah  and  Jerusalem  shall  be  restored  and  then  the 
nati^ons  will  be  gathered  together  in  the  valley  of  the 
Lord's  judgment  to  be  dealt  with  because  they  have 
scattered  and  enslaved  his  people.  The  sons 
and  daughters  of  the  Phoenicians  and  Philistines  shall 
become  slaves  of  Judah  or  be  sold  to  the  distant  Sabeans 
because  these  peoples  have  engaged  In  the  slave  trade, 
selling  Hebrew  captives  to  the  distant  Grecians. 

Reversing  an  earlier  prophet's  promise  of  peace,  Joel 
calls  upon  the  nations  to  beat  their  plowshares  Into 
swords  and  their  pruning  hooks  Into  spears  and  to  come 
up  to  the  valley  called  "  Jehovah  judgeth  "  ( Jehosha- 
phat).  In  vision  he  sees  them  gathered,  multitudes, 
multitudes  In  the  valley  of  decision!  In  the  words  of 
Amos,  he  cries,  "  Jehovah  will  roar  from  Zion  and  utter 
his  voice  from  Jerusalem,  but,"  he  adds,  "  Jehovah 
will  be  a  refuge  unto  his  people,  and  a  stronghold  to 
the  children  of  Israel."     Thus  they  will  recognize  him 


JOEL  INTERPRETS  A  CALAMITY  159 

as  their  God  who  dwells  in  Zion.  Then  Jerusalem 
shall  be  holy  and  there  shall  no  strangers  pass  through 
her  any  more. 

Peter's  application  of  the  vision.  Four  hundred 
years  after  Joel's  vision,  when  Jesus  had  died  upon 
the  cross,  his  followers,  now  assured  that  he  still  lived, 
were  gathered  together  in  the  sacred  city  to  await  the 
moving  of  the  Spirit.  Jews  were  there,  devout  men 
from  every  nation  under  heaven.  The  wide  flung 
Roman  rule  had  made  it  possible  for  humble  folk, 
to  travel  freely  from  Spain  to  Syria,  throughout  the 
Mediterranean  world.  The  disciples,  awaiting  in  hope 
the  promise  given  by  their  risen  Lord,  were  moved  with 
a  great,  mysterious  power.  Peter  standing  up  to 
preach  declared  that  this  was  the  experience  foreieen 
by  the  prophet  Joel,  when  the  Spirit  should  be  poured 
out  upon  all  flesh. 

Joel,  like  the  others  who  saw  apocalyptic  vision,  pic- 
turedphysical  victory  over  Israel's  enemies  in  the  valley 
of  decision.  When  the  Divine  Spirit  came  in  very 
truth,  he  brought  not  material  triumph,  but  power 
to  speak  the  word  of  conviction  to  men's  hearts  and 
minds.  The  Divine  message  sometimes  comes  through 
war  and  suffering,  but  it  was  the  day  of  spiritual  con- 
viction, when  thousands  were  convinced  of  the  truth  in 
Jesus,  in  which  St.  Peter  found  the  great  fulfillment  of 
Joel's  prophecy.  Israel  still  remained  a  subject  prov- 
ince under  the  power  of  a  foreign  ruler. 

Important  Biblical  references:  Joel  i :  1-2:  17;  Matthew  23: 
23-24;  Joel  2:  18-27;  2:28-3:21 ;  Acts  2:5-21. 


CHAPTER  XVIII 

THE    WISE    MEN 

The  wise  in  Greece  and  Israel.  Kings,  prophets, 
priests,  these  are  the  men  who  occupy  the  front  place 
in  the  stories  of  ancient  Israel.  Of  such  men  we  have 
been  reading,  but  there  were  other  groups  of  men  who 
had  a  large  part  to  play  in  the  Hfe  of  ancient  Israel. 
One  of  these  groups  was  known  as  "  the  wise."  Men 
who  filled  a  similar  place  in  ancient  Greece  were  called 
"  lovers  of  wisdom,"  philosophers.  In  both  countries 
these  men  devoted  themselves  to  observing,  thinking, 
and  teaching.  They  were  trying  to  understand  ques- 
tions and  to  lead  younger  men  to  think  and  under- 
stand. 

Socrates  is  pictured  for  us  by  one  of  his  pupils  as 
going  about  in  Athens,  always  with  a  group  of  young 
fellows  around  him  and  always  asking  them  questions 
which  made  them  think.  So  too  in  Jerusalem  the  wise 
men  went  about  the  streets,  to  the  chief  place  of  con- 
course at  the  entrance  of  the  gates.  Like  Socrates 
they  seem  to  have  gathered  the  young  men  around 
them  in  these  places  to  give  them  their  good  doctrine. 

The  open  place  inside  the  gate  of  a  Palestinian  town 
was  like  the  market  place  of  a  Greek  or  Roman  city, 
the  agora  or  forum.  Here  the  judges  held  court  and 
here  the  people  met  and  talked.     Such  an  open  square 

i6o 


TH1-:  WISE  MEN  i6i 

may  still  be  seen  just  inside  the  Jaffa  gate  of  Jerusalem. 
Here  the  people  still  gather.  It  was  in  this  square  that 
they  stood  and  listened  to  General  Allenby's  proclama- 
tion when  he  entered  the  city  in  December,  19 17. 

The  interests  of  the  wise.  Sometimes  the  wise  men 
of  Judah  watched  the  animals  and  insects  at  their  work 
and^  like  Bruce  with  the  spider,  drew  lessons  for  human 
conduct.  More  often  they  were  occupied  observing 
people,  those  who  were  lazy,  those  who  were  dissipated, 
those  who  were  sneaking  around  making  trouble,  those 
who  could  not  speak  the  truth.  Ihey  saw  that  such 
men  and  their  companions  were  alike  fools,  sure  to- come 
to  trouble.  Again  they  observed  the  rulers  and  honor- 
able men  who  made  their  fathers  glad,  the  diligent 
who  acquired  a  competence,  and  those  who  heeded  in- 
struction and  so  found  the  way  of  life.  All  these  they 
pictured  as  guided  by  wisdom.  So,  out  of  their  own 
observation  and  experience  and  out  of  the  treasured 
wisdom  handed  down  from  the  past  they  tried  to  teach 
the  inexperienced  and  thoughtless  to  choose  life  and  to 
avoid  the  paths  that  lead  to  destruction. 

Solomon's  wisdom.  The  wise  men  of  the  later  cen- 
turies which  we  are  now  studying  thought  of  King 
Solomon  as  the  first  and  greatest  representative  of 
their  class.  The  famous  king  had  astonished  themen 
of  his  own  day  by  his  shrewdness  in  seeing  through 
people  who  tried  to  deceive  him.  Later  generations 
loved  to  think  that  the  wise  sayings  they  had  inherited 
went  back  to  him,  much  as  people  in  America  love  to 
ascribe  to  Lincoln  every  good  story  that  shows  clever 
insight  into  human  nature.      When  the  Jewish  philoso- 


i62       GREAT  LEADERS  OF  HEBREW  HISTORY 

phers  made  collections  of  wise  sayings  on  life,  they 
called  them  proverbs  of  Solomon.  According  to  the 
tradition  preserved  in  the  book  of  Kings,  Solomon 
spoke  three  thousand  proverbs  and  was  much  interested 
in  "  nature  study,"  whether  of  trees  and  plants  or  of 
animals,  insects,  and  fish.  The  great  collections  of 
proverbs  which  in  later  times  became  current  under  his 
name  were,  however,  mostly  occupied  with  human 
nature  and  its  workings.  Whatever  he  may  have 
spoken  of  trees  and  beasts  and  creeping  things  has 
not  been  preserved  for  us. 

Earliest  collection  of  proverbs.  The  earliest  collec- 
tion we  have  of  wise  sayings  ascribed  to  Solomon  now 
constitutes  chapters  lo:  1-22:  16  of  the  Old  Testa- 
ment book  of  Proverbs.  This  collection  was  probably 
put  together  in  written  form  not  far  from  the  time 
of  the  Babylonian  exile.  It  is  a  curious  little  book, 
made  up  of  three  hundred  and  seventy-six  wise  say- 
ings or  proverbs.  Each  saying  consists  of  two  lines, 
except  that  one  (19:7)  appears  to  have  three  lines. 
Probably  the  third  in  this  case  is  a  half  of  the  three 
hundred  and  seventy-seventh  proverb,  of  which  the 
other  half  was  lost. 

In  the  proverbs  of  the  first  half  of  this  collection, 
the  second  line  almost  always  gives  the  opposite  side 
of  the  thought  of  the  first  line : 

A  wise  son  maketh  a  glad  father; 

But  a  foolish  son  is  the  heaviness  of  his  mother. 

Sometimes  there  is  a  comparison  instead  of  an 
antithesis: 


THE  WISE  MEN  163 

As  vinegar  to  the  teeth,  and  as  smoke  to  the  eyes, 
So  is  the  sluggard  to  them  that  send  him. 

Again  the  second  line  may  state  the  consequence  of 
the  first: 

The  law  of  the  wise  is  a  fountain  of  life, 
That  one  may  depart  from  the  snares  of  death. 

In  the  latter  part  of  the  collection,  the  "  buts " 
largely  disappear  and  the  two  lines  stand  in  synonymous 
or  synthetic  relation  with  each  other. 

These  two  line  proverbs  often  contain  a  great  deal 
of  wisdom  about  life  put  into  the  briefest  form  and  one 
that  sticks  in  the  memory.  Doubtless  many  of  them 
were  handed  down  from  generation  to  generation  long 
before  they  were  ever  written.  Condensed  wisdom  in 
tablet  form  for  convenient  use,  they  may  be  styled. 

A  second  collection.  Another  collection  that  went 
under  the  name  of  Solomon  is  found  in  chapters  25  to 
29  of  the  book  of  Proverbs.  Here  again  there  are 
many  two  line  sayings,  but  sometimes  the  same  thought 
runs  through  several  lines. 

Put  not  thyself  forward  in  the  presence  of  the  king, 
And  stand  not  in  the  place  of  great  men : 
For  better  is  it  that  it  be  said  unto  thee,  Come  up  hither. 
Than  that  thou  shouldst  be  put  lower  in  the  presence  of 

the  prince 
Whom  thine  eyes  have  seen. 

In  one  case  there  comes  in  a  poem  about  a  diligent 
farmer  that  is  ten  lines  long. 

Anonymous  collections.    Connected  poems.    Other 


i64      GREAT  LEADERS  OF  HEBREW  HISTORY 

collections  that  went  into  the  making  of  our  book 
of  Proverbs  are  not  ascribed  to  any  one  wise  man 
but  simply  to  "  the  wise."  Here  the  wisdom  may  be 
presented  in  quatrains  or  even  more  connected  forms 
which  give  opportunity  to  express  some  meditations 
as  well  as  observation.  In  two  instances  the  "  words 
of  the  wise  "  contain  connected  poems.  One  of  these 
gives  a  realistic  picture,  very  true  to  life,  of  the  ex- 
perience of  the  drunkard,  and  the  other  of  the  slug- 
gard : 

I  went  by  the  field  of  the  sluggard, 

And  by  the  vineyard  of  the  man  void  of  understanding; 

And,  lo,  it  was  all  grown  over  with  thorns, 

The  face  thereof  was  covered  with  nettles. 

And  the  stone  wall  thereof  was  broken  down, 

Then  I  beheld  and  considered  well; 

I  saw  and  received  instruction: 

Yet  a  little  sleep,  a  little  slumber, 

A  little  folding  of  the  hands  to  sleep ; 

So  shall  thy  poverty  come  as  a  robber, 

And  thy  want  as  an  armed  man. 

Composition  of  book  of  Proverbs.  The  book  of 
Proverbs  is  thus  a  great  collection  of  observations 
on  manners  and  morals,  made  up  out  of  several  earlier 
collections  known  as  proverbs  of  Solomon  or  words  of 
the  wise.  To  this  collection  of  collections  there  was 
prefixed  a  series  of  discourses  in  praise  of  wisdom 
(chapters  1-9),  and  there  were  added  several  bits  of 
miscellaneous  wisdom  as  appendixes. 

Appendixes.  Agur.  One  of  the  appendixes  Is 
called  the  words  of  Agur.     Agur  is  one  of  those  blunt, 


THE  WISE  MEN  165 

self-made  men  who  has  not  the  learning  of  the  schools 
and  is  proud  of  the  fact.  He  thinks  some  of  the  phil- 
osophers are  professing  to  know  a  good  deal  more 
than  they  really  do  know.  One  of  the  most  interest- 
ing parts  of  the  chapter  that  bears  his  name  is  Agur's 
prayer: 

Two  things  have  I  asked  of  thee; 

Deny  me  them  not  before  I  die: 

Remove  far  from  me  falsehood  and  lies ; 

Give  me  neither  poverty  nor  riches; 

Feed  me  with  the  food  that  is  needful  for  me: 

Lest  I  be  full  and  deny  thee,  and  say,  Who  is  Jehovah? 

Or  lest  I  be  poor  and  steal. 

And  use  profanely  the  name  of  my  God. 

The  prayer  suggests  Aristotle's  famous  doctrine  of 
'*  nothing  too  much."  The  middle  road  is  the  safest. 
Perhaps  Agur  belonged  to  the  great  middle  class  him- 
self. He  is  right  that  it  is  easier  for  those  who  are 
neither  very  rich  nor  very  poor  to  avoid  open  sin. 

In  the  latter  part  of  the  Agur  chapter  are  some  of 
the  observations  upon  the  qualities  of  certain  insects 
and  animals  to  which  reference  has  already  been  made: 

There  are  four  things  which  are  little  upon  the  earth, 

But  they  are  exceeding  wise: 

The  ants  are  a  people  not  strong, 

Yet  they  provide  their  food  in  the  summer; 

The  conies  are  but  a  feeble  folk, 

Yet  make  their  houses  in  the  rocks; 

The  locusts  have  no  king, 

Yet  go  they  forth  all  of  them  by  bands; 

The  lizard  thou  canst  grasp  with  the  hands, 

Yet  is  she  in  kings'  palaces. 


i66      GREAT  LEADERS  OF  HEBREW  HISTORY 

Lemuel.  After  the  words  of  Agur  come  the  words 
taught  King  Lemuel  by  his  mother.  In  this  instance 
the  king's  mother  appears  as  the  fountain  of  wisdom 
Instead  of  the  wise  men.  Of  Lemuel  and  his  kingdom 
we  know  nothing,  but  if  he  followed  the  maternal  di- 
rections, he  must  have  avoided  some  of  the  great  sins 
to  which  kings  have  ever  been  tempted.  The  standard 
here  given  for  a  king  is  self  control  and  righteous  rule. 

The  virtuous  woman.  The  book  of  Proverbs 
closes  with  an  alphabetic  poem  on  a  good  wife.  It 
has  been  called  "  The  golden  A  B  C  of  the  perfect 
wife."  The  successive  couplets  begin  with  the  twenty- 
two  letters  of  the  Hebrew  alphabet  in  order. 

A  worthy  woman  who  shall  find? 

Far  above  corals  is  her  price. 
Relieves  in  her  her  husband's  mind, 

And  gain  shall  he  not  lack. 
Comes  good  through  her  and  not  ill 

The  days  of  all  her  life. 

Such  alphabetic  structure  is  not  uncommon  in  the 
poetry  of  the  Old  Testament.  Psalm  119  is  one  of 
the  most  conspicuous  examples.  Here  eight  verses 
begin  with  Aleph,  eight  with  Beth,  and  so  on  through 
the  alphabet.  Very  possibly  the  form  was  originally 
adopted  as  an  aid  to  memory.  The  poem  in  Pro- 
verbs describes  the  good  wife  as  the  industrious,  wise 
business  manager  of  the  household,  the  kind  mistress 
to  her  maids,  the  generous  giver  to  the  poor,  the 
trusted  friend  of  husband  and  children. 


THE  WISE  MEN  167 

Estimate  of  the  wise.  The  men  who  composed, 
treasured,  and  taught  wise  saws  and  songs  such  as 
those  gathered  in  our  book  of  Pro\crhs  may  have  been 
a  little  too  solemn  and  wise  to  attract  all  youths  of  to- 
day, or  of  that  day,  but  they  were  a  pretty  good  sort 
after  all.  Their  comments  on  life  were  generally 
shrewd  and  kindly  and  sometimes  they  were  edged  with 
clever  sarcasm  or  coated  with  quaint  humor.  "  The 
wise  "  were  not  the  greatest  men  of  Israel  like  Jeremiah 
and  Ezekiel  or  Josiah  and  Nehemiah,  They  did  not 
give  the  world  new  truths  that  would  shake  society 
to  its  foundations,  nor  did  they  build  the  city's  walls 
and  reform  its  laws;  but  they  did  teach  the  homely 
virtues  and  common  sense,  and  something  too  of  the 
higher  virtues,  all  of  which  are  necessary  in  any  com- 
munity that  is  to  have  a  healthy  life. 

Proverbial  wisdom  is  not  so  popular  in  these  days 
of  much  printing  as  It  was  In  times  when  books  were 
few  and  papers  unkown,  but  the  sayings  of  the  wise 
are  not  to  be  overlooked  by  any  one  who  would  fully 
know  the  Old  Testament  standards  of  life. 

Other  forms  of  wisdom  literature.  The  wise  men 
of  Israel  did  not  always  confine  themselves  to  the 
sententious  mode  of  expression  found  in  the  book  of 
Proverbs.  Some  of  them  dealt  at  length  with  great 
problems  of  life  and  thought.  In  our  next  chapter  we 
shall  consider  the  greatest  example  of  this  type  of 
ancient  Jewish  philosophic  writing.  The  book  of  Ec- 
clesiastes  is  another  instance  of  a  wisdom  writing  of 
considerable  length  devoted  to  one  central  theme. — 


i68      GREAT  LEADERS  OF  HEBREW  HISTORY 

What  profit  hath  man  of  all  his  labor?  Still  it  may 
be  maintained  that  the  typical  form  of  Jewish  wisdom 
literature  was  the  proverb. 

The  son  of  Sirach.  The  wisdom  of  Jesus  the  Son 
of  Sirach  is  a  considerable  book  made  up  largely  of  sen- 
tentious wisdom,  written  after  the  completion  of  the 
book  of  Proverbs.  In  hearing  it  read,  one  cannot 
easily  distinguish  some  parts  of  this  from  the  earlier 
book.  Jeremiah  referred  to  the  wise  men  as  a  sep- 
arate class  in  Israel,  Like  the  priests  and  prophets, 
the  wise  produced  a  considerable  body  of  writings  of 
which  several  important  examples  have  been  preserved 
through  all  the  centuries. 

Important  Biblical  references:  Proverbs  1:20-21;  8:1-4; 
4:  1-27;  6:  6-19;  8:  15-21;  10:  i-i7;25:  i;  I  Kings  4:32-33 ; 
27:23-27;  22:24-25;  23:1-14;  23:29-35;  24:30-34;  30; 
31. 


CHAPTER  XIX 

JOB,    THE    MAN    WHO    QUKSTIONED    AND    FOUND   GOD 

A  well-known  character.  In  the  early  years  of  the 
Babylonian  exile  Kzekicl  referred  to  Job,  along  with 
Noah  and  Daniel,  as  an  example  of  a  righteous  man. 
Evidently  his  name  was  well  known  to  Ezekiel's  hear- 
ers, although  he  does  not  appear  in  any  of  the  historical 
books  of  the  Old  Testament. 

The  old  story.  First  scene.  It  was  fully  two  hun- 
dred years  after  Ezekiel's  time  that  our  book  of  Job 
was  written.  Not  long  before  or  possibly  soon  after 
Alexander's  conquest  of  the  East,  a  writer  took  the 
traditions  about  Job  as  the  basis  of  his  book.  In  a 
series  of  vivid  scenes  he  tells  the  old  tale.  Job,  dwell- 
ing in  the  land  of  Uz  to  the  east  of  Palestine,  was  en- 
joying all  the  prosperity  that  could  come  to  a  patri- 
archal sheik  and  he  was,  too,  living  a  life  of  highest 
virtue.  His  family  reached  the  ideal  number  of  seven 
sons  and  three  daughters,  for  in  the  East  daughters 
are  counted  less  desirable  than  sons.  His  flocks  and 
herds  made  him  a  man  of  fabulous  wealth  for  that  land. 
Year  by  year  the  clan  celebrated  with  joyous  feasting 
the  birthday  of  each  son.  In  his  careful  piety.  Job 
offered  burnt  offerings  for  them  all  after  each  feast, 
lest  any  of  them  had  sinned  and  renounced  God  in  their 
hearts.     This  is  the  lirst  scene  of  the  story. 

169 


I70      GREAT  LEADERS  OF  HEBREW  HISTORY 

Second  scene.  In  the  next  scene  we  are  transferred 
to  the  heavenly  court  where  the  sons  of  God  present 
themselves  before  Jehovah.  Among  these  sons  ap- 
pears one  known  as  "Satan,"  that  is,  "  Adversary." 
The  name  first  appears  in  the  Biblical  writings  in  the 
prophecies  of  Zechariah,  early  in  the  Persian  age.  In 
the  second  scene  of  the  Job  story,  Satan  has  been 
traveling  to  and  fro  up  and  down  in  the  earth.  When 
the  Lord  asks  him  whether  he  has  considered  his  serv- 
ant Job,  the  most  perfect  man  in  all  the  world,  the 
Adversary  suggests  that  Job  is  well  paid  for  his  serv- 
ice and  asserts  that  if  Job's  property  is  touched  he 
will  no  longer  be  faithful.  Then  permission  is  given 
to  make  the  test. 

Third  scene.  In  the  third  scene  we  come  back  to 
earth  upon  a  day  when  Job's  children  are  enjoying  a 
feast  in  their  elder  brother's  house.  Suddenly  a 
breathless  messenger  bursts  in  upon  Job  to  tell  of  a  raid 
of  the  southern  Arabs,  killing  the  servants  and  carrying 
off  the  oxen  and  asses.  The  raid  is  just  such  an  one 
as  the  Bedouins  are  wont  to  make  upon  their  more  set- 
tled neighbors  even  down  to  the  present  day.  Before 
this  messenger  has  finished  his  story,  another  comes 
with  news  that  the  lightning  has  struck  and  consumed 
Job's  sheep  and  his  young  men  who  were  tending  them 
A  third,  close  upon  the  heels  of  the  second,  tells  of  a 
raid  of  the  Chaldeans  who  have  killed  the  young  men 
and  carried  off  the  camels.  The  climax  of  calamity 
is  reached  with  the  report  of  a  fourth  messenger  that 
a  great  storm  from  the  wilderness  has  destroyed  the 
elder  brother's  house,  killing  Job's  sons. 


JOB  171 

Fourth  scene.  Satan  has  used  his  permission  to  the 
full  in  trying  Job's  sincerity,  and  Job  stands  the  test! 
"The  Lord  gave  and  the  Lord  hath  taken  away; 
blessed  be  the  name  of  the  Lord  "  is  his  cry.  Down 
through  the  ages  it  has  been  echoed  by  those  smitten 
with  great  loss  who  have  yet  trusted  in  God. 

Fifth  scene.  The  shifting  scene  carries  us  back  to 
the  heavenly  assembly.  The  Lord  calls  Satan's  atten- 
tion to  the  steadfastness  of  Job,  although  he  has  suf- 
fered without  cause.  Satan  answers  with  a  proverb, 
"  Skin  for  skin,  yea  all  that  a  man  hath  will  he  give  for 
his  life."  Touch  his  flesh  and  he  will  renounce  thee  is 
Satan's  new  claim.  Authority  is  given  to  make  this 
further  test,  only  Job's  life  must  be  spared. 

Sixth  scene.  Job  is  now  afflicted  with  a  torturing 
disease.  He  is  covered  with  loathsome,  festering 
sores  and  sits  upon  the  refuse  heap  scraping  with  a  pot- 
sherd his  foul,  itching  flesh  in  suffering  and  humilia- 
tion. His  wife  urges  him  to  renounce  God  and  die, 
but  he  replies,  "What?  shall  we  receive  good  at  the 
hand  of  God  and  shall  we  not  receive  evil?"  Job 
has  met  the  tests. 

Seventh  scene.  The  news  of  the  great  man's  mis- 
fortunes reaches  three  of  his  friends  in  their  distant 
abodes.  They  make  an  appointment  to  meet  one  an- 
other and  together  go  to  bemoan  and  comfort  Job. 
With  all  the  outward  signs  of  grief  customary  in  the 
Orient,  they  come  and  sit  down  by  Job  for  seven  days, 
silent  until  the  stricken  one  himself  shall  speak  out. 

Such  is  the  old  story  of  Job's  sufferings  and  patience 
as  our  writer  uses  it  for  the  introduction  of  his  great 


172       GREAT  LEADERS  OF  HEBREW  HISTORY 

poem.  The  situation  gives  the  occasion  for  Job  and 
his  friends  to  discuss  at  length  the  puzzling  questions 
raised  by  the  fact  that  the  greatest  misfortunes  may 
befall  the  wisest  and  best  men  through  no  apparent 
fault  of  their  own. 

Israel's  current  philosophy.  Before  and  after 
this  poem  was  written  the  current  philosophy  of  Is- 
rael was  of  the  "  honesty  is  the  best  policy  "  sort.  Be 
good  and  you  will  be  prosperous  is  the  general  theme 
of  the  proverb  makers.  Now  a  writer  tells  the  story 
of  an  ancient  worthy  famed  for  his  piety,  who  meets 
the  greatest  misfortunes  and  proves  that  he  honors 
God  not  simply  for  pay.  The  story  clearly  suggests 
that  there  may  be  a  higher  motive  for  goodness  than 
the  rewards  of  health,  wealth,  or  family.  The  story 
also  shows  that  the  current  philosophy  does  not  cover 
all  the  facts  of  life,  for  losses  may  come  to  one  who 
is  most  faithful  in  all  his  duties. 

Its  contradiction.  It  was  with  this  significant  old 
story  as  a  background  that  Israel's  great  poet  of  the 
fourth  century  before  Christ  took  up  the  deeper  aspects 
of  human  sufferings  and  of  God's  justice.  Haggai  had 
promised  the  people  good  crops  if  they  would  be  faith- 
ful to  Jehovah  in  rebuilding  the  temple.  They  had 
rebuilt  and  the  prosperity  had  not  come.  Instead, 
near  the  close  of  the  Persian  rule,  Palestine  had  been 
overrun  by  punitive  forces  and  some  of  its  people 
again  deported. 

.  .Job's  curse.  The  prose  story  ended  with  Job's 
three  friends  sitting  by  him  in  silence  for  seven  days. 
The  poem  breaks  the  silence  with  Job  uttering  awful 


JOB  173 

curses  upon  the  day  of  his  birth.  In  the  course  of 
these  he  asks  in  despair,  as  Jeremiah  luid  done  before 
him,  why  he  was  ever  born,  why  he  did  not  die  immedi- 
ately after  birth,  why  he  cannot  die  now. 

Eliphaz's  vision.  The  contrast  with  Job's  resig- 
nation at  the  close  of  the  prose  story  is  startling.  Per- 
haps he  has  read  in  the  faces  of  his  silent  friends  belief 
that  God  is  punishing  him  for  some  great  sin  and  this 
is  more  than  he  can  bear.  Certainly  when  the  friends 
begin  to  talk  it  is  clear  that  they  interpret  his  misfor- 
tune in  this  way.  Eliphaz  answers  Job's  curse  with  re- 
buke for  giving  way  to  grief;  he  assures  him  that  the 
innocent  do  not  perish  and  that  the  upright  are  not  cut 
off.  It  is  those  who  plow  iniquity  and  sow  trouble 
who  reap  the  same.  He  tells  of  a  vision  that  came  to 
him  in  the  night,  showing  him  that  a  man  could  not 
be  just  and  pure  before  God.  He  ends  by  urging  Job 
to  seek  unto  God  and  to  commit  his  cause  unto  him. 

Job's  sufferings.  When  Eliphaz  finishes.  Job  re- 
sumes his  complaint,  longing  for  death.  Then  he 
turns  to  his  friends  and  reproaches  them  for  not 
showing  kindness  to  him.  If  they  can  point  out  to 
him  wherein  he  has  sinned,  then  he  will  hold  his  peace. 
He  describes  his  sufferings  of  mind  and  body.  The 
symptoms  of  his  disease  seem  to  be  those  of  elephan- 
tiasis or  black  leprosy,  named  from  the  fact  that  the 
flesh  becomes  dark,  hard,  and  cracked,  like  the  hide 
of  an  elephant.  This  disease  is  almost  more  dread- 
ful in  its  effect  upon  the  mind,  through  terrifying  vi- 
sions, than  in  its  horrid  physical  aspects. 

Bildad's  appeal  to  tradition.     Bildad  takes  up  the 


174      GREAT  LEADERS  OF  HEBREW  HISTORY 

discussion,  maintaining  that  God  cannot  act  unjustly 
and  making  the  maddening  suggestion  that  It  may  be 
because  of  their  sins  that  Job's  children  have  died. 
He  is  sure  that  If  Job  were  really  pure  and  upright 
God  would  give  him  prosperity.  He  appeals  to  the 
wisdom  of  the  ancients  for  proof  that  God  does  not 
bless  evil  doers  nor  cast  away  the  righteous. 

Job  and  Zophar.  Job  complains  that  God  destroys 
the  righteous  the  same  as  the  wicked.  Whether  he 
is  himself  righteous  or  wicked  makes  no  difference, 
his  misfortunes  prove  him  guilty.  Zophar,  the  third 
friend,  adds  his  rebuke  with  high  sounding  praise  of 
God's  wisdom  which  man  cannot  find  out.  Like  the 
others,  however,  he  is  confident  that  he  knows  God's 
ways  and  that  If  Job  will  purge  himself  of  sin,  he 
will  be  cleared  of  the  guilt  indicated  by  his  punishment. 

The  friends'  theory.  The  three  friends  differ 
somewhat  In  their  approach  to  the  subject.  Ellphaz 
appeals  to  a  supernatural  vision,  Bildad  to  the  wisdom 
of  the  men  of  old,  while  Zophar  emphasizes  the  im- 
possibility of  understanding  God.  They  differ  in  their 
way  of  presenting  their  belief,  but  their  view  is  essen- 
tially the  same  —  Job  must  be  guilty  of  great  sin  or 
God  would  not  have  sent  him  such  misfortunes.  Job 
sees  the  strength  of  the  evidence  against  him,  but  can- 
not plead  guilty  to  sins  that  he  has  not  committed. 
He  thinks  that  they  are  trying  to  defend  the  Divine  jus- 
tice by  lying  and  is  sure  that  Is  not  pleasing  to  God. 
Job  believes  it  better  to  be  true  to  the  facts  than  to 
argue  for  God  dishonestly. 

The  view  the  three  were  defending  had  grown  very 


JOB  175 

naturally  out  of  the  teachings  of  the  prophets  and  wise 
men.  If  material  blessings  arc  given  to  men  because 
they  are  righteous,  it  seems  to  follow  that  they  are 
taken  away  because  of  sin.  So  if  a  man  has  great  mis- 
fortunes, this  proves  him  to  be  a  great  sinner.  From 
experience.  Job  had  learned  that  this  was  not  true. 
To  argue  that  it  must  be  so  because  God  is  just  was  to 
his  mind  forging  lies. 

Second  and  third  cycles  of  debate.  Job's  real 
quest.  The  discussion  goes  on  through  two  more 
rounds  of  speeches  in  which  the  friends  repeat  their 
theory  and  become  more  and  more  direct  in  accusing 
Job  of  some  great  sin.  One  of  them  charges  him  with 
a  long  list  of  sins  such  as  a  man  of  his  wealth  and 
power  might  have  committed.  He  is  firing  away  hop- 
ing to  hit  Job  somewhere.  Job  loses  interest  in  what 
the  three  are  saying;  he  is  trying  to  understand  God 
and  he  sees  that  they  cannot  help  him  in  this  search. 
He  looks  out  from  his  own  experience  into  the  world 
and  finds  that  it  is  not  universally  true  that  long  life, 
health,  and  wealth  are  granted  to  the  good  and  their 
opposite  heaped  upon  evil  men.  The  friends  cannot 
deny  that  wicked  men  sometimes  seem  to  prosper,  but 
they  are  sure  that  judgment  will  soon  overtake  them. 

Hope  of  immortality.  Job  longs  to  see  God  face  to 
face;  he  is  sure  that  if  he  could  come  before  him  he 
could  clear  himself.  In  this  longing  he  reaches  a 
momentary  faith  that  after  death  he  will  be  able  to 
find  him.  From  this  high  hope  he  falls  back  to  his 
earlier  conviction  that  the  world  of  the  dead  is  only 
a  place  of  oblivion  where  suffering  will  be  over.     A 


176   GREAT  LEADERS  OF  HEBREW  HISTORY 

clear  faith  in  immortality,  a  belief  in  a  heaven  where 
the  wrongs  of  this  world  will  be  righted,  had  not  yet 
come  into  the  Jewish  religion.  Job  comes  nearer  to 
expressing  this  faith  than  any  previous  character,  but 
it  is  .not  yet  a  clear  and  constant  hope.  He  does  see 
that  if  he  could  believe  in  a  future  life,  he  could  endure 
all  the  suffering  and  sorrow  here.  He  ends  protest- 
ing his  Innocence  and  not  understanding  why  God  pun- 
ishes the  guiltless. 

Elihu's  attempt.  When  the  friends  have  been 
silenced  and  Job  has  ceased  to  speak,  a  young  man 
named  Ellhu,  who  has  been  listening  to  the  discussion, 
undertakes  to  defend  the  Divine  justice  and  to  rebuke 
Job  for  self-righteousness.  Afflictions,  he  maintains, 
are  sent  to  turn  men  from  their  sins  to  God;  but  he 
does  not  add  much  to  the  case  made  out  by  the  friends. 

The  voice  of  God.  Suddenly  out  of  the  whirlwind 
the  voice  of  God  is  heard  vividly  picturing  the  power 
and  wisdom  seen  through  all  nature,  in  contrast  to 
man's  weakness  and  ignorance.  Job  now  feels  that 
he  has  seen  God  and  he  abhors  himself  in  dust  and 
ashes. 

Thus  the  poem  closes  with  no  solution  of  the  prob- 
lem that  Job's  experience  has  raised.  He  does  not 
yet  understand  why  the  wicked  flourish  and  the  right- 
eous suffer;  but  he  is  sure  that  God  Is  both  powerful 
and  wise  and  he  no  longer  asserts  his  own  righteous- 
ness. 

The  epilogue.  A  prose  conclusion  of  the  book  fol- 
lows. In  this  Jehovah  rebukes  the  friends  for  what 
they  have  said  about  him  and  tells  them  to  go  to  Job 


JOB  177 

with  sacrifices  and  to  get  him  to  pray  for  them. 
When  Job  prayed  for  his  friends,  Jehovah  turnctl 
his  captivity  and  gave  him  twice  as  much  as  he  had 
before  his  losses. 

Job's  satisfaction.  The  conclusion  sets  its  seal  of 
approval  on  a  man  who  honestly  questioned  what  had 
been  believed  and  taught  about  God  and  who  tried  to 
know  and  understand  God  for  himself.  Job  did 
not  succeed  in  solving  the  mystery  of  the  govern- 
ment of  the  world,  but  he  did  get  a  vision  of  the  wis- 
dom and  power  of  God  that  satisfied  his  eager,  long- 
ing soul. 

The  great  mistake.  The  idea  held  by  Job's  three 
friends  that  peculiar  misfortune  is  a  judgment  sent 
by  God  for  peculiar  sin  dies  hard.  It  was  still  held 
by  the  Jews  in  Jesus'  day.  They  thought  that  for  a 
man  to  be  born  blind  was  a  judgment  for  sin.  Jesus 
taught  that  those  whose  blood  cruel  Herod  mingled 
with  the  sacrifices  and  those  on  whom  the  tower  of 
Siloam  fell  were  not  sinners  above  other  men.  Yet, 
even  down  to  the  present  day,  many  sincere  Christians 
judge  life  as  Job's  discredited  friends  judged  it.  The 
great  prophet  who  wrote  the  poem  of  the  Suffering 
Servant  saw  that  God's  true  servants  suffer  for  the  sins 
of  others  more  that  the  sinners  themselves.  Our  Lord 
Jesus,  the  supreme  Suffering  Servant,  is  ever  the  final 
refutation  of  the  idea  that  long  life  and  all  earthly 
prosperity  are  the  natural  rewards  of  virtue. 

The  great  truth.  It  is  true  that  to  live  up  to  the 
general  moral  standards  of  the  community  in  which  we 
are  usually  furthers  prosperity,  but  it  is  equally  true 


178       GREAT  LEADERS  OF  HEBREW  HISTORY 

that  those  who  rise  far  above  the  standards  of  their 
fellows  are  made  to  suffer  for  it.  The  sure  reward 
of  virtue  is  not  health,  nor  wealth,  but  the  peace  of  God 
that  passeth  all  understanding,  a  peace  that  may  be 
found  in  sorrow  and  suffering  and  may  be  lost  in  pros- 
perity. 

Important  Biblical  references:  Ezekiel  14:  14,  20;  Job  1-2; 
3,  cf.  Jeremiah  20:  14-18;  Job  4-5;  8;  11;  12-14;  38;  42. 


CHAPTER  XX 

JONAH   AND   THE    GOSPEL    MESSAGE 

The  historical  Jonah.  Jonah  ben  Amittai  lived  in 
the  town  of  Gath  Hephcr,  about  eight  hundred  years 
before  the  Christian  era.  His  home  was,  we  think, 
among  the  pleasant  hills  of  Galilee,  three  miles  north- 
east of  Nazareth  where  Jesus  was  to  pass  his  boyhood, 
so  many  centuries  later.  This  ancient  prophet  made  a 
prediction  that  the  kingdom  of  Jeroboam  II  would 
extend  from  the  Dead  Sea  to  the  Lebanons  north  of 
all  Galilee. 

When  Jeroboam's  victories  had  at  last  brought  about 
this  increase  of  his  kingdom,  Jonah  must  have  had 
repute  as  a  seer;  yet  we  have  no  further  information 
concerning  him  in  the  history  of  the  books  of  kings. 
Groups  of  stories  about  the  deeds  and  words  of  the 
prophets  Samuel,  Elijah,  and  Ellsha  occupy  a  large 
place  in  Israel's  histories,  but  Jonah  had  hardly  a 
single  verse  devoted  to  him.  Perhaps  a  brief  tradi- 
tion was  somewhere  preserved,  telling  of  his  being 
sent  on  a  mission  to  a  foreign  land,  as  Ellsha  had  been 
sent  to  the  king  of  Damascus. 

The  Jonah  of  the  story.  The  prophet  writer.  At 
last,  probably  at  least  four  hundred  years  after  Jonah's 
time,  some  writer  of  the  restored  community  that  Ne- 
hemlah  and  Ezra  had  revived  and  separated  took  this 

179 


i8o      GREAT  LEADERS  OF  HEBREW  HISTORY 

ancient  prophet  as  the  central  figure  of  a  story.  His 
well-told  tale  turned  out  to  be  a  wonderful  sermon,  for 
the  unnamed  writer  was  a  prophet  far  greater  than  his 
hero.  It  takes  a  remarkably  good  story  teller  to  shape 
a  story  for  the  sake  of  the  moral  and  not  spoil  the  tale. 
Charles  Dickens  could  do  it,  and  the  writer  of  the  book 
of  Jonah  could. 

The  story.  The  command.  As  the  story  runs, 
Jonah  received  the  Divine  command  to  rise  up  and  go  to 
Nineveh  that  great  city  and  cry  against  it  because  of  its 
wickedness.  This  was  no  easy  nor  safe  commission. 
It  involved  a  journey  of  six  or  seven  hundred  miles 
through  dangerous  and  hostile  territory  and  bold  an- 
nouncement of  destruction  to  a  great  and  powerful  cap- 
ital. Nineveh  was  the  city  which  the  prophet  Nahum 
described  as  the  lions'  den  where  the  lion  did  tear  in 
pieces  enough  for  his  whelps,  and  strangled  for  his 
lionesses  and  filled  his  caves  with  prey.  It  was  to  this 
great  capital  of  the  most  cruel  autocracy  of  antiquity 
that  Jonah  was  directed  to  go  with  a  message  of  doom 
from  the  God  of  far  off  Israel.  We  may  not  wonder 
that  he  preferred  to  flee  to  the  other  end  of  the  world. 
According  to  the  story,  however,  it  was  not  so  much 
the  distance  nor  fear  of  delivering  a  message  of  doom 
that  deterred  Jonah.  He  wanted  to  get  away  from 
the  presence  of  Jehovah,  believing  him  to  be  too  com- 
passionate to  carry  out  the  judgment. 

The  flight.  The  storm.  So  Jonah  went  down  to 
the  seaport  Joppa,  on  the  shore  of  the  Philistine  plain, 
where  he  found  a  ship  starting  for  Tarshish,  twenty- 
three  hundred  miles   away  at  the   other  end  of   the 


JONAH  AND    THK  GOSPEL  MESSAGE       i8i 

Mediterranean.  lie  paid  his  passage  money  and 
started  out  to  escape  from  the  compassionate  God 
who,  he  thought,  would  send  him  to  pronounce  judg- 
ment on  Nineveh  and  then  show  pity  and  so  prove 
Jonah  a  false  prophet.  All  went  well  for  a  time, 
but  Jehovah's  power  reached  out  over  the  sea  as  well 
as  the  land.  A  tempest  swept  down  upon  the  little 
ship.  In  fear  the  seasoned  sailors  cried  each  to  his 
own  god  as  they  threw  out  the  cargo  to  lighten  the 
laboring  vessel.  Jonah,  weary  with  his  Hight,  slept 
below  decks  until  the  captain  roused  him  with  exhorta- 
tion to  call  upon  his  god. 

The  lot.  According  to  the  ancient  ideas  that  such 
a  great  calamity  as  this  fearful  storm  must  have  been 
sent  as  a  judgment,  the  sailors  cast  lots  so  that  the 
offended  god  could  point  out  the  culprit  on  whose 
account  it  came.  The  lot  fell  true  on  Jonah;  Jehovah, 
the  God  of  heaven  who  made  sea  and  land,  had  sent 
the  pursuing  storm.  So  it  has  become  a  proverb 
down  to  our  own  day  to  call  anyone  who  brings  ill 
fortune  upon  others  the  Jonah  of  the  party.  Jonah 
is  ready  to  accept  his  fate  and  tells  the  sailors  they 
must  throw  him  overboard.  They  hesitate  to  do  this 
and  labor  manfully  at  the  oars  until  it  is  clear  that  the 
struggle  is  hopeless.  At  last,  with  a  prayer  for  for- 
giveness they  throw  Jonah  into  the  sea.  Now  the 
storm  subsides  and  the  sailors  offer  a  sacrifice  and  make 
vows  unto  Jehovah  whose  power  has  been  so  mani- 
fested. 

The  fish.  Jonah's  penitence.  The  quaint  old  story 
goes  on  to  tell  of  a  great  fish  that  had  been  prepared 


i82      GREAT  LEADERS  OF  HEBREW  HISTORY 

to  swallow  up  Jonah  when  he  fell  into  the  water  and 
of  how  Jonah  inside  the  fish  uttered  a  poetic  prayer. 
When  we  study  this  prayer  we  find  that  it  is  made  up 
largely  of  quotations  from  various  Psalms.  Not  all 
of  it  seems  to  be  very  well  fitted  to  Jonah's  situation; 
but  it  showed  penitence  so  that  the  fish  was  directed 
to  disgorge  him  upon  the  dry  land. 

Nineveh.  Humbled  by  his  experience,  the  prophet 
now  heeds  the  renewed  command  and  goes  to  Nineveh, 
Nineveh  was  an  exceeding  great  city  of  three  days' 
journey,  the  old  story  tells  us,  and  the  ruins  of  "  greater 
Nineveh,"  the  old  city  proper  with  its  vast  stretches 
of  outlying  dwellings,  suggest  that  the  circumference 
of  the  whole  was  some  sixty  miles,  three  days'  journey. 
The  ruined  walls  of  the  fortified  city  itself  have  a  cir- 
cuit of  about  nine  miles. 

Nineveh's  penitence.  When  Jonah  had  come  into 
the  heart  of  this  great  community  he  began  to  cry 
aloud  his  startling  message :  "  Yet  forty  days  and  Nin- 
eveh shall  be  overthrown.  "  Now  there  appeared 
what  has  been  styled  the  greatest  miracle  in  the  whole 
book  of  wonders  —  the  people  believed  God  and  put 
on  the  sackcloth  of  penitent  mourning.  When  the 
tidings  reach  the  great  king  he  lays  aside  his  royal  robe, 
covers  himself  with  the  harsh  sackcloth  and,  like  Job 
in  his  misery,  sits  in  the  ashes.  He  further  makes  a 
decree  that  neither  man  nor  beast  shall  eat  or  drink, 
that  all  alike  shall  be  clothed  in  sackcloth  and  shall 
cry  mightily  unto  God,  and  mirahile  dictu,  that  every- 
one shall  turn  from  his  evil  way  and  from  the  violence 
in  his  hands. 


JONAH  AND  THE  GOSPKL  MESSAGE       183 

The  Assyrian  kings  were  wont  to  ascribe  their  most 
cruel  victories,  when  they  wantonly  conquered  and  de- 
ported peoples,  inllicting  the  most  awful  tortures  that 
their  efficient  militarism  could  devise,  to  the  favor 
of  their  national  God.  Our  story  makes  the  king 
realize  that  violence  is  not  approved  by  the  God  whom 
Jonah  preaches. 

Judgment  averted.  Jonah's  displeasure.  When 
God  saw  that  the  people  turned  from  their  evil  way, 
he  spared  them  and  did  not  execute  judgment.  This 
was  not  at  all  to  Jonah's  liking.  When  had  a  pro- 
phet ever  had  a  day  of  greater  recognition  than  he? 
He  had  driven  that  great  city  into  terrified  penitence, 
and  now  the  threatened  judgment  was  averted  and 
the  prophet's  day  of  power  ended.  That  was  the 
reason,  he  says,  that  he  had  not  wanted  to  be  Jeho- 
vah's messenger  in  the  first  place  —  he  knew  him  to 
be  a  gracious  God  and  merciful,  slow  to  anger  and 
abundant  in  loving  kindness.  He  prays  that  he  may 
be  killed;  death  is  preferable  to  his  shame. 

The  gourd.  Jonah  goes  outside  of  the  city  and 
makes  a  little  shelter  from  the  scorching  sun.  Here  he 
sits  waiting  to  see  what  will  become  of  the  city,  hoping 
against  hope,  apparently,  that  it  may  yet  bring  Je- 
hovah's wrath  upon  itself.  The  shelter  is  not  a  very 
good  one,  but  a  magic  gourd  grows  up  over  it  in  a 
night  and  makes  a  refreshing  shade.  Jonah  is  com- 
forted by  this  for  a  little  while,  but  soon  the  ever 
present  worm  eats  the  plant  and  it  withers.  To  add 
to  Jonah's  misery  the  sultry  east  wind  begins  to  blow 
and  he  is  fainting  with  the  heat.      Rebellious  toward 


i84      GREAT  LEADERS  OF  HEBREW  HISTORY 

God  who  would  not  fulfill  his  prediction  against  Nin- 
eveh nor  even  let  him  have  his  selfish  comfort  under  the 
shade  of  the  gourd,  Jonah  is  angry  unto  death. 

The  Divine  compassion.  Now  the  Divine  lesson 
can  be  driven  home  to  his  fretful  heart,  or  at  least  to 
the  readers  of  the  story.  If  Jonah  cared  for  the 
gourd  which  he  did  not  even  make  to  grow,  should  not 
God  care  for  that  great  city  in  which  there  were 
myriads  of  innocent  children  and  cattle  too,  over  whom 
God's  mercy  broods? 

Occasion  of  writing  Jonah.  It  was  possibly  three 
centuries  after  the  final  overthrow  of  the  city  that  a 
Jew  of  Palestine  told  the  strange  tale  of  Jonah  and  Nin- 
eveh's penitence  and  reprieve.  When  he  wrote,  the 
Jewish  people  had  been  forced  to  separate  themselves 
from  the  neighboring  peoples  of  Palestine  in  order 
to  keep  alive  at  all  their  race  and  their  religion.  The 
separation  which  Nehemiah  and  Ezra  labored  so  hard 
to  secure  was  necessary,  but  it  had  made  the  people 
think  of  Jehovah  as  exclusively  the  Jewish  God.  Be- 
sides, their  sufferings  had  made  them  bitter  toward 
other  peoples  whom  they  wished  to  see  destroyed,  in 
order  that  they  themselves  might  be  supreme  as  the 
peculiar  people  of  the  one  all  powerful  God.  Probably 
Artaxerxes  Ochus,  one  of  the  last  of  the  Persian 
rulers,  had  already  brought  their  city  almost  to  a 
second  ruin  before  one  of  the  truest  and  greatest  of 
the  nation's  prophets  used  the  story  of  Jonah  as  a 
protest  against  national  selfishness  and  hatred,  teach- 
ing that  the  God  of  Israel  was  the  God  of  other  peoples 


JONAH  AND  THE  GOSPEL  MESSAGE       185 

as  well.  His  compassion  would  spare  the  most  heart- 
less and  cruel,  if  they  would  turn  from  their  sins  in 
penitence. 

Background  of  Jonah  story.  The  lesson  that  the 
Great  Unknown  had  taught  in  the  song  of  the  Suffer- 
ing Servant,  the  lesson  that  the  sufferings  of  the  faith- 
ful in  Israel  were  the  bearing  of  the  sins  of  the  world, 
had  not  been  learned.  The  writer  of  Jonah  had  pon- 
dered the  songs  of  the  Unknown  one.  He  knew  that 
Jehovah's  servant  Israel  had  been  truly  pictured  as 
blind  and  deaf;  he  knew  that  her  enemies  had  been  rep- 
resented as  a  great  water  monster.  Perhaps  he  re- 
membered also  that  the  Babylonian  exile  had  been 
pictured  as  swallowing  up  and  vomiting  forth  of  his 
people. 

National  experience  pictured.  Filled  with  these 
poetic  pictures  the  writer  told,  under  the  symbol  of  the 
prophet,  the  story  of  his  nation's  blind  unwillingness 
to  serve  the  world,  of  her  being  cast  out  of  her  land 
and  swallowed  up  by  Babylon,  of  her  return  to  her 
land  and  the  renewed  Divine  command  to  carry  out 
her  mission,  of  her  now  humbled  spirit  and  willing- 
ness to  bear  God's  message  of  judgment  on  sin,  but 
also  of  her  selfish  narrowness  and  unwillingness  to 
have  the  nations  become  partakers  of  the  Divine  bless- 
ings. 

Humanism  of  story.  Narrowness  of  people. 
Through  the  whole  runs  the  idea  that  the  worshippers 
of  other  gods  may  be  loyal  and  true;  everywhere  they 
appear  to  better  advantage  than  Jonah.     The  sailors 


i86       GREAT  LEADERS  OF  HEBREW  HISTORY 

call  upon  their  gods  while  the  disloyal  Hebrew  sleeps. 
Even  when  they  learn  that  his  guilt  has  brought  the 
storm  upon  them  all,  they  struggle  bravely  to  bring  the 
boat  to  land  before  they  consent  to  cast  Jonah  over- 
board. The  inhabitants  of  Nineveh  not  only  fast  and 
cry  unto  God  when  the  Divine  judgment  is  pronounced 
upon  them,  but  their  king  bids  them  to  turn  from  their 
wickedness  and  from  the  violence  that  is  in  their  hands. 
Jeremiah  and  Malachi  had  contrasted  the  unfaithful- 
ness of  Israel  with  the  faithfulness  of  the  heathen; 
Isaiah  had  looked  forward  to  a  day  when  the  nations 
should  voluntarily  come  to  learn  Jehovah's  will  in  Jeru- 
salem and  all  should  dwell  together  in  peace;  but  the 
people,  like  Jonah  thought  that  judgment  should 
fall  on  the  other  nations  and  did  not  dream  of 
peace  through  the  nations  learning  the  ways  of  Je- 
hovah. 

An  allegory.  Forerunner  of  Gospel  parables. 
The  book  of  Jonah  seems  to  be  an  allegory  in  which 
Jonah  is  Israel,  the  whale  Babylon,  and  the  great 
thought  of  the  whole  is  that  God  cares  for  all  peoples, 
even  the  most  wicked,  and  that  he  desires  his  people 
to  share  his  purposes  of  mercy  to  all  mankind. 
Viewed  thus,  instead  of  being  a  narrative  of  ancient 
wonders  hard  to  believe  or  a  mere  silly  story,  the  book 
becomes  the  vehicle  for  conveying  a  truth  that  hes 
above  the  level  of  almost  all  the  rest  of  the  Old  Testa- 
ment. It  is  the  forerunner  of  Jesus'  wonderful 
parables  of  the  Good  Samaritan  and  the  Prodigal  Son, 
with  their  lessons  of  a  compassionate  God  and  a  broad 
and  generous  humanity. 


JONAH  AND  THE  GOSPEL  MESSAGE       187 

Important  Biblical  references:  H  Kings  14:25;  Jonah  1-4; 
Isaiah  42:  ig  (blind  servant,  page  185)  ;  Isaiah  26:21-27:  i, 
51 :  9-10  (enemies  water  monster,  page  185)  ;  Jeremiah  51 :  34, 
44  (page  185). 


CHAPTER  XXI 

JUDAS   THE    HAMMER 

Struggle  for  Palestine.  During  the  larger  part 
of  the  third  century  B.  c.^  Judea  was  subject  to  the 
Ptolemies  of  Egypt,  descendants  of  Ptolemy  Lagus, 
Alexander's  noble,  who  was  left  in  charge  of  Egypt 
when  the  king  went  on  to  further  conquests  in  the  East. 
These  rulers  had  not  indeed  held  undisputed  posses- 
sion of  Palestine.  The  Seleucids  of  Antioch,  who 
had  secured  the  eastern  part  of  Alexander's  conquests, 
extending  westward  to  the  Mediterranean,  contended 
bitterly  for  the  rule  of  Palestine.  At  the  opening 
of  the  next  century  (198  B.  c),  Antiochus  III,  known 
as  "  The  Great,"  secured  possession.  This  ruler 
was  seeking  to  build  up  a  strong  state  to  resist  the 
eastward  advance  of  Rome.  Defeated  at  Magnesia, 
in  Asia  Minor,  he  did  his  best  to  maintain  his  power 
at  the  eastern  end'  of  the  Mediterranean. 

Accession  of  Antiochus  Epiphanes.  The  twenty 
years  following  Antiochus's  conquest  of  Palestine 
brought  comparative  peace  to  the  little  community 
that  had  suffered  much  from  the  strife  of  the  Seleucids 
and  Ptolemies.  It  was  only  the  calm  before  the  terrible 
storm  that  was  soon  to  break.  In  the  year  175  B.  c, 
Antiochus  IV  came  to  the  throne.  This  ruler  is  com- 
monly known  as  Antiochus  Epiphanes,  the  manifesta- 

188 


JUDAS  THE  HAMMER  189 

tion  of  God,  for  such  he  claimed  to  be.  In  mockery, 
some  styled  him  Epimancs,  the  mad  man.  Soon  the 
old  dispute  with  Egypt  broke  out  anew;  Palestine  was 
claimed  as  the  dowry  of  Antiochus's  sister  Cleopatra, 
who  had  married  Ptolemy.  In  the  war  that  arose, 
Antiochus  invaded  Egypt  and  besieged  Alexandria. 

Antiochus  plunders  temple.  In  the  meantime  there 
was  much  disturbance  in  Jerusalem  because  Antiochus 
had  deposed  the  high  priest,  selling  the  office,  first  to 
one,  and  then  to  another  who  was  not  even  of  the  high 
priestly  family.  The  disorders  that  followed  gave  the 
king  excuse  to  visit  the  city  on  his  return  from  Egypt, 
and  to  plunder  the  temple  of  its  golden  adornments 
and  of  the  treasure  stored  there  for  safety. 

A  Roman  historian  of  the  next  century  tells  the  story 
of  Antiochus  entering  the  holy  of  holies  and  finding 
there  the  image  of  an  old  man  riding  on  an  ass.  He 
supposed  this  man  to  be  Moses.  In  fact,  the  inner- 
most shrine  of  the  second  temple  was  probably  empty. 
The  ancient  furnishings  of  ark,  mercy  seat,  and 
cherubim  had  disappeared  with  the  destruction  of  the 
first  temple.  The  writers  of  Greece  and  Rome  could 
not  comprehend  a  temple  without  an  image,  and  so 
presumably,  the  story  grew  up  of  this  image  whose 
grotesqueness  might  account  for  the  jealous  way  in 
which  the  Jews  guarded  the  entrance  to  their  inner 
sanctuary. 

Retirement  from  Egypt.  Two  years  later,  An- 
tiochus again  invaded  Egypt,  but  this  time  he  met  a 
new  situation  there.  The  Romans  were  not  minded 
to  have  an  empire  built  up  in  the  East,  and  so  the  Senate 


I90       GREAT  LEADERS  OF  HEBREW  HISTORY 

had  sent  a  legate,  Gaius  Popillus  Lenas,  who  met 
Antlochus  in  Egypt.  According  to  the  story  told  of 
this  occasion,  Popilius  Lenas  drew  a  circle  around 
Antiochus  as  he  stood  on  the  Egyptian  sand  and  told 
him  that  he  must  choose,  before  he  stepped  out  of  the 
circle,  whether  he  would  give  up  his  designs  on  Egypt 
or  fight  Rome.  Antiochus's  father  had  tested  war 
with  the  Romans  and  the  son  dared  do  nothing  else 
than  accept  the  humiliation  of  retirement. 

Persecution  of  Jews.  Perhaps  this  experience 
added  venom  to  the  king's  treatment  of  his  Jewish 
subjects;  at  any  rate,  he  soon  took  measures  to  stamp 
out  their  religion  and  all  the  distinctive  practices  of 
this  people  who  could  not  accept  Greek  customs  that 
were  bound  up  with  Greek  religion  and  morals.  An- 
tiochus had  a  small  altar  of  Zeus  set  up  on  the  great 
altar  of  Jehovah  which  stood  in  the  temple  court.  On 
this  he  required  swine's  flesh  to  be  sacrificed,  so  that 
the  altar  of  Jehovah  became  polluted  and  the  whole 
sanctuary  unfit  for  his  worship.  Books  of  the  law  were 
destroyed  wherever  found,  and  those  who  insisted 
on  carrying  out  its  requirements  were  put  to  death. 
A  new  citadel,  raised  in  the  city  of  David  overlook- 
ing the  temple,  was  occupied  by  a  Syrian  garrison. 
Emissaries  of  the  government  sent  about  the  land  com- 
pelled the  people  to  participate  in  pagan  sacrifice. 

Before  this  persecution  arose,  many  of  the  Jews 
had  been  disposed  to  adopt  much  of  the  Greek  mode 
of  life;  but  the  attempt  to  stamp  out  by  force  all  that 
was  distinctive  in  Judaism  roused  the  determination 
of   the   people   to   resist  unto   death.      Companies   of 


JUDAS  THE  HAMMER  191 

those  who  would  not  yield  fled  to  the  wilderness.  Pur- 
sued thither,  they  were  cut  down  on  the  Sabhutii  day 
when,  in  their  extreme  loyalty  to  the  law,  they  could 
not  defend  themselves.  Many  met  the  martyr's  death 
rather  than  yield  to  the  demand  that  they  give  up 
their  ancient  law.  All  the  loyalty  that  had  been  built 
up  through  the  work  of  Nehemiah  and  Ezra  was 
brought  to  the  test. 

Revolt  of  Mattathias.  At  this  darkest  hour,  as  the 
emissaries  went  about  the  land  compelling  worship 
of  other  gods,  they  came  to  the  little  town  of  Modin, 
a  few  miles  north-west  of  Jerusalem.  Here  there 
lived  an  aged  priest  who  had  five  stalwart  sons.  As 
the  leading  man  of  the  community  the  officers  called 
upon  this  priest,  Mattathias  by  name,  to  come  forward 
and  perform  the  sacrifice  first,  promising  favor  and  re- 
wards from  the  king  for  himself  and  his  sons.  Mat- 
tathias answered,  in  a  voice  that  could  be  heard  by  all, 
that  though  all  the  people  in  the  king's  dominions 
should  give  up  each  the  religion  of  their  fathers,  he 
and  his  kindred  would  remain  faithful  to  the  covenant. 
When  another  Jew  came  forward  to  offer  the  sacrifice, 
Mattathias  ran  forward  and  slew  him  upon  the  altar 
and  struck  down  the  king's  representative  who  was 
seeking  to  make  the  village  apostatize.  Then,  calling 
upon  all  who  were  zealous  for  the  law  to  follow,  he 
and  his  sons  fled  into  the  mountains,  forsaking  all 
their  possessions  in  the  town.  Knowing  of  the  com- 
pany which  had  been  slaughtered  unresisting  on  the 
Sabbath,  they  realized  that  such  a  course  would  only 
result  in  the  destruction  of  all  who  were   faithful  to 


192      GREAT  LEADERS  OF  HEBREW  HISTORY 

Judaism.  So  they  decided  to  resist  if  attacked  on 
that  day. 

The  Hasidim.  Mattathias  and  his  sons  soon  be- 
came the  rallying  center  for  those  who  were  zealous 
of  the  law.  These  were  called  the  Hasidim,  or  holy 
ones.  With  a  band  of  such  followers  the  priest  went 
about  the  land  pulling  down  the  altars  which  had  been 
set  up  and  compelling  a  return  to  outward  observance 
of  the  Jewish  law.  Just  how  long  this  state  of  affairs 
continued  we  cannot  tell.  It  was  probably  only  a  few 
months  before  Mattathias  died.  Now  the  command 
of  the  band  fell  upon  his  son  Judas,  surnamed  Mac- 
cabeus, the  Hammer.  He  proved  to  be  one  of  the 
most  skilful  and  determined  leaders  known  to  ancient 
military  annals. 

Defeat  of  Apollonius.  ApoUonius  the  Syrian  gov- 
ernor of  Samaria  gathered  together  an  army  to  sup- 
press the  disturbances  that  had  been»raised  and  marched 
to  the  attack.  Judas  and  his  company  fell  suddenly 
upon  the  force,  slew  many,  and  put  the  rest  to  flight. 
The  weapons  taken  must  have  been  very  acceptable  to 
the  irregular  force  which  had  gathered  about  Judas. 
The  sword  of  Apollonius  fell  to  the  leader,  and  he  car- 
ried it  for  the  rest  of  his  days. 

Defeat  of  Seron.  It  now  became  evident  at  Syrian 
headquarters  that  this  was  no  ordinary  band  of  plunder- 
ers. Seron  the  general  marched  south  along  the  coast 
plain  and  turned  up  into  the  hills  by  the  valley  which 
ran  near  Modin.  Judas,  knowing  the  country  from 
boyhood,  chose  his  ground  where  the  valley  narrows 
and  the  road  becomes  steep.     Here,  holding  the  pass, 


JUDAS  THE  HAMMER  i93 

his  smaller  forces  might  be  able  to  resist  much  larger 
numbers.  Arousing  his  frightened  followers  with 
noble  courage,  he  leapt  suddenly  upon  the  host  coming 
up  the  narrow  defile  and  drove  them  pell  mell  down 
the  ravine,  till  they  came  to  the  open  plain  where  they 
scattered  in  flight. 

The  scene  of  the  victory.  This  valley  of  victory 
was  famous  in  story  as  the  way  by  which  the  Amor- 
ites  had  fled  before  Joshua  when  Israel  first  entered 
the  land,  a  thousand  years  earlier.  Thirteen  hundred 
years  after  Judas's  day,  Richard  Ccrur  de  Lion  would 
struggle  up  the  same  valley  until  he  came  in  sight  of 
Jerusalem.  Seven  centuries  later  still,  in  the  autumn 
of  1917  A.  D.,  the  forces  of  General  Allenby  would 
advance  up  the  same  valley,  taking  Bet  Ur  et-Tahta 
and  Bet  Ur  el-Foka,  Lower  and  Upper  Beth  Horon, 
and  advance  thus  to  the  capture  of  the  outposts  of  Jeru- 
salem. 

Antiochus's  eastern  expedition.  The  next  battle  of 
Judas  was  fought  in  the  same  region.  This  was  the 
natural  approach  to  Jerusalem  whether  an  army  was 
advancing  northward  from  Egypt  or  southward  from 
Syria.  Antiochus  realized  that  the  Palestinian  rebels 
were  growing  to  dangerous  strength,  yet  he  himself 
had  on  hand  an  expedition  to  the  eastern  limits  of  his 
kingdom;  so  he  entrusted  his  capital,  his  son,  and  the 
Palestinian  insurrection  to  Lysias  as  Legate,  while  he 
headed  an  army  bound  for  Mesopotamia  and  the 
borders  of  ancient  Persia. 

Defeat  of  the  three  generals.     Lysias  sent  an  army 
to  Palestine  large  enough  to  call  for  the  leadership  of 


194      GREAT  LEADERS  OF  HEBREW  HISTORY 

three  generals.  It  seemed  that  little  Judea  was  now 
to  be  crushed.  Slave  traders  hastened  to  follow  the 
army  with  their  silver,  gold,  and  fetters,  ready  to  buy 
the  Jewish  captives  from  the  Syrians.  Pitching  their 
camp  on  the  plain  at  the  foot  of  the  Wadi  Ah,  up  which 
the  modern  carriage  road  to  Jerusalem  runs,  the 
Syrians  sent  five  thousand  foot  and  a  thousand  horse, 
guided  by  their  fellows  from  the  citadel  at  Jerusalem, 
to  make  a  night  attack  upon  the  camp  of  Judas,  pitched 
at  a  strong  point  on  the  western  edge  of  the  hills  that 
are  round  about  Jerusalem.  Word  of  the  movement 
was  brought  to  Judas.  Taking  prompt  decision,  he 
removed  from  his  camp  and  with  three  thousand  men 
stole  down  one  of  the  steep  defiles  In  the  darkness.  At 
daybreak  he  attacked  the  main  Syrian  camp  on  the 
plain.  Taken  completely  by  surprise,  the  enemy  fled  to 
the  lower  plain  of  Philistia,  losing  some  three  thousand 
men. 

The  Syrian  camp  with  Its  following  of  traders  was 
full  of  rich  booty,  but  Judas  had  his  victorious  force 
so  well  In  hand  that  he  kept  them  from  the  spoils,  ready 
to  meet  the  army  of  twice  their  own  number  that  had 
been  vainly  searching  through  the  night  up  on  the  sum- 
mit of  the  mountain  range.  When,  In  the  morning, 
the  vanguard  of  this  army  came  to  a  point  on  the  west- 
ern edge  of  the  mountains  where  they  could  look  down 
on  their  own  camp,  they  saw  it  in  flames  with  Judas's 
force  drawn  up  ready  to  give  battle  hard  by.  In  alarm 
they  too  fled  down  to  the  coast  plains,  leaving  their 
camp  to  Judas  and  his  men.  This  brilliant  achieve- 
ment of  Judas  may  well  suggest  comparison  with  the 


JUDAS  Tin:  HAMMER  195 

way  in  which  the  fleeing  army  of  Washington  struck 
back  across  the  Delaware,  that  stormy  Christmas  night, 
and  captured  the  Hessians  peacefully  (juartercd  in 
Trenton.  Many  of  those  who  escaped  from  the  shat- 
tered Syrian  forces  slunk  back  to  Antioch  and  brought 
great  confusion  to  the  Legate  by  the  story  of  their 
disastrous  defeat. 

Victory  south  of  Jerusalem.  The  next  year  Lysias 
gathered  a  still  larger  army.  Determined  this  time 
to  avoid  the  dangerous  passes  up  from  the  Philistine 
plain  to  the  Judean  plateau,  he  marched  around  to  the 
south  and  moved  up  by  way  of  Hebron.  From  this 
side,  the  roads  approach  Jerusalem  in  open  valleys, 
where  larger  forces  would  have  every  advantage  over 
the  army  of  the  Jews.  During  the  Babylonian  exile 
the  Edomites  had  taken  advantage  of  the  depopulated 
condition  of  southern  Judea  and  had  moved  into  the 
territory.  They  were,  no  doubt,  very  ready  to  give 
free  passage  to  a  force  coming  to  attack  their 
hereditary  enemies.  At  the  southern  border  of  the 
province  now  belonging  to  his  people,  Judas  met  the 
oncoming  host.  His  forces  had  now  increased  to  some 
ten  thousand  men,  whose  desperate  courage  was  such 
that  they  inflicted  heavy  losses  upon  the  Syrian  host 
and  forced  them  to  retire  leaving  Judas  in  possession 
of  the  field. 

Three  years  of  struggle.  Three  years  had  now 
elapsed  since  the  desecration  of  the  temple.  During 
this  time,  the  little  band  of  desperate  men  who  had  fled 
to  the  wilderness  under  the  leadership  of  Mattathias 
had  grown  to  an  army  of  ten  thousand.      Flushed  with 


196      GREAT  LEADERS  OF  HEBREW  HISTORY 

victory  after  victory,  Judas  and  his  army  were  now 
masters  of  Judea,  save  for  the  Syrian  garrison  which 
still  held  the  citadel  overlooking  Jerusalem  and  the 
temple.  They  were  now  strong  enough  to  keep  this 
garrison  shut  up  within  Its  fortress  and  to  undertake 
the  purification  of  the  sacred  city  and  Its  sanctuary. 

Important  references:  Apocrypha,  I  Maccabees  1-4:37. 


CHAPTER  XXII 

A    HELPER    OF    JUDAS 

Occasion  of  writing  Daniel.  During  the  dark 
period  of  uncertainty  between  the  revolt  of  Mattathias 
and  Judas's  more  decisive  victories,  one  of  the  faithful 
in  Israel  wrote  the  boolc  of  Daniel.  His  task  was  to 
raise  the  morale  of  the  distressed  people.  His  mes- 
sage of  courage  and  strength,  with  its  assurance  that 
God's  deliverance  was  at  hand,  had  its  part  to  play  in 
increasing  Judas's  tiny  band  to  the  ten  thousand  who 
repelled  Syria's  force  at  Bethsur,  south  of  Jerusalem. 

Stories  about  Daniel.  Daniel  selected  by  Nebu- 
chadrezzar. First  the  writer  told  a  series  of  interest- 
ing stories  concerning  Daniel,  whom  he  pictured  as  one 
of  the  exiles  carried  to  Babylon  by  Nebuchadrezzar. 
This  Daniel,  with  other  Jewish  youths  of  noble  family, 
was  selected  by  the  king  to  be  educated  in  all  the  learn- 
ing of  the  Babylonians.  He  and  three  of  his  com- 
panions soon  drew  attention  to  themselves  by  the  fact 
that  they  desired  to  eat  only  herbs  and  would  not  par- 
take of  the  wine  and  dainties  provided  by  the  king. 
In  this  way  they  avoided  eating  food  that  was  unclean 
according  to  the  Jewish  ceremonial  law.  When,  at 
length,  the  chosen  youths  were  brought  before  the 
king,  these  four  proved  to  be  ten  times  wiser  than  the 
Babylonian  magicians  and  enchanters.     So  Daniel  con- 


198       GREAT  LEADERS  OF  HEBREW  HISTORY 

tinued  to  interpret  for  the  Babylonian  court  all 
through  the  Exile, 

Nebuchadrezzar  dreams.  Early  in  his  reign 
Nebuchrezzar  dreamed  a  dream  that  troubled  him 
greatly,  though  on  awakening  he  could  not  remember 
what  it  was.  When  his  diviners  proved  unable  to  tell 
him  his  dream,  he  was  about  to  have  the  whole  guild  of 
them  put  to  death;  but  the  hidden  thing  was  revealed 
to  Daniel  in  a  vision  of  the  night.  He  was  able  to  tell 
the  king  both  what  his  dream  had  been  and  what  it 
meant. 

The  image.  The  dream  was  destined  to  become 
one  of  the  most  famous  in  all  the  world's  writings. 
The  king  had  seen  a  great  image  with  head  of  gold, 
breast  and  arms  of  silver,  trunk  and  thighs  of  brass, 
legs  of  iron,  and  feet  of  iron  and  clay.  A  stone  cut 
out  without  hands  had  crushed  the  feet  that  were  partly 
of  the  fragile  clay,  and  the  whole  image  had  been 
broken  into  fragments. 

The  interpretation.  The  interpretation  given  by 
Daniel  was  that  the  image  typified  a  succession  of  four 
kingdoms,  of  which  Nebuchadrezzar's  was  the  first, 
the  head  of  gold.  The  succeeding  kingdoms  would  be 
inferior  until  the  last  would  be  a  divided  kingdom, 
partly  of  strong  iron  and  partly  of  potter's  clay,  which 
cannot  be  welded  with  iron.  These  great  world  king- 
doms would  be  crushed  and  the  God  of  heaven  would 
set  up  a  kingdom  that  should  never  be  destroyed. 

The  fiery  furnace.  In  the  next  story  Nebuchadrez- 
zar sets  up  a  great  golden  image,  almost  a  hundred 
feet  high.     He  requires  every  one  to  worship  before 


A  HELPER  OF  JUDAS  199 

It.  Daniel's  three  companions,  who  have  heen  pro- 
vincial governors,  refuse  and  arc  cast  into  the  furnace 
of  fire.  By  Divine  intervention  they  receive  no  harm 
and  the  king  decrees  that  no  one  shall  speak  a  word 
against  a  god  that  can  thus  deliver  his  worshippers. 

The  king's  insanity.  According  to  the  following 
story,  Nebuchadrezzar  has  a  dream  of  a  tree  cut  down, 
only  the  stump  being  left.  This  Daniel  interprets 
as  a  prediction  that  Nebuchadrezzar  will  be  driven 
from  men,  to  dwell  with  the  oxen  of  the  field  and  to  eat 
grass  until  he  shall  know  that  the  Most  High  rules  in 
the  kingdom  of  men.  For  seven  years  the  king  was  an 
outcast  bereft  of  human  reason  and  forced  to  live  as 
a  beast  of  the  field.  When  his  reason  returned  he  was 
restored  to  his  throne,  knowing  the  God  of  heaven, 
whose  works  are  truth  and  his  ways  justice. 

The  writing  on  the  wall.  The  next  story  brings  us 
to  the  closing  days  of  Babylon's  rule,  years  after  the 
death  of  Nebuchadrezzar.  The  king  has  made  a 
great  feast  and  it  has  been  his  pleasure  to  use  the 
sacred  vessels  brought  by  Nebuchadrezzar  from  the 
Jerusalem  temple  for  himself,  his  lords,  wives,  and  con- 
cubines. As  they  were  drinking  from  these  sacred 
vessels  and  praising  their  false  gods,  suddenly  there 
appeared  the  fingers  of  a  hand  writing  on  the  wall 
of  the  palace.  Fear  quickly  sobered  the  drunken 
prince  as  he  saw  the  part  of  the  hand  that  wrote.  Fhc 
king  ordered  the  wise  men  to  be  brought  in  to  read  the 
writing.  The  queen  told  him  of  Daniel  and  advised 
that  he  too  be  called. 

Daniel  translated  the  written  words:     "  Numbered, 


20O      GREAT  LEADERS  OF  HEBREW  HISTORY 

numbered,  weighed,  and  divisions  "  and  he  Interpreted 
the  crytic  oracle,  "  God  hath  numbered  thy  kingdom 
and  brought  It  to  an  end.  Thou  art  weighed  In  the 
balances  and  found  wanting.  Thy  kingdom  Is  divided 
and  given  to  the  Persians."  That  same  night,  the 
proud  king  Belshazzar  was  slain  and  his  kingdom 
passed  to  Darius  the  Mede. 

The  lions'  den.  When  the  new  ruler  had  organized 
his  great  kingdom  and  made  Daniel  one  of  the  three 
ministers  who  were  the  satraps  of  the  provinces,  Daniel 
proved  himself  so  worthy  that  the  king  thought  to 
make  him  the  chancellor  of  the  whole  realm.  His 
colleagues,  jealous  of  this  promotion,  laid  a  plot  for 
his  downfall.  They  induced  the  king  to  sign  a  child- 
ish decree  that  any  one  who  made  a  petition  to  any 
god  or  man  for  thirty  days,  except  to  the  king  alone, 
should  be  cast  into  the  den  of  lions.  Daniel  con- 
tinued to  pray  to  his  God,  and  so  was  thrown  to  the 
lions.  An  angel  of  God  stopped  the  mouths  of  the 
fierce  beasts  and  he  was  unhurt.  Those  who  had 
plotted  against  him  were  now  thrown  Into  the  den 
with  their  families  and  all  were  instantly  destroyed. 
Then  Darius  made  a  decree  that  all  should  honor  the 
God  of  Daniel. 

Purpose  of  the  stories.  The  purpose  of  all  these 
stories  Is  to  emphasize  the  point  that  the  Jew  who  Is 
loyal  to  his  God,  through  every  temptation  to  share 
the  life  of  the  heathen  and  to  give  up  the  sole  wor- 
ship of  the  God  of  heaven,  will  be  delivered  from  every 
peril.  It  Is  probable  that  the  stories  were  gathered  to- 
gether during  the  century  before  the  time   of  Judas 


A  HELPER  OF  JUDAS  201 

Maccabeus,  when  the  Jews  were  untler  the  Ptolemies 
of  Egypt  and  were  in  danger  of  adopting  foreign 
practices  and  recognizing  foreign  gods. 

Their  use  by  the  writer.  After  the  outbreak  of  the 
revolt  against  the  Syrian-Greek  rulers  under  Mat- 
tathlas,  when  refusal  to  adopt  the  Greek  worship  had 
meant  a  martyr's  death  to  so  many,  the  faithful  needed, 
as  almost  never  before,  assurance  that  God  would  care 
for  his  loyal  worshippers.  At  this  time,  a  Jewish 
writer  took  the  Daniel  stories  and  used  them  as  the 
prelude  to  a  series  of  visions  that  had  a  bearing  even 
more  direct  on  the  needs  of  his  own  day. 

Historical  basis  of  visions.  Time  of  writing.  The 
vision  of  the  image  in  the  group  of  stories  had  pictured 
the  succession  of  world  kingdoms  as  the  author  of  the 
Daniel  stories  understood  it  —  Nebuchadrezzar's 
Babylon,  Darius's  Media,  Cyrus's  Persia,  Alexander's 
conquering  Greek  kingdom,  divided  afterward  between 
the  Ptolemies  and  Seleucids,  partly  now  of  strong 
iron  and  partly  of  fragile  clay.  Our  author,  in 
chapters  7  to  12,  builds  in  part  upon  this  foundation 
in  his  visions  of  history,  but  he  also  knows  the  details 
of  the  struggles  between  Egypt  and  Syria,  that  carry 
us  down  into  the  times  of  Antiochus  Epiphanes,  of  the 
desecration  of  the  temple  in  the  year  168  B.  c,  and  of 
the  beginning  of  the  Maccabean  revolt.  He  does  not 
know  of  the  great  successes  of  Judas  that  gave  him 
the  mastery  of  the  city  by  165  B.  c.  and,  apparently, 
he  does  not  know  of  Antlochus's  expedition  against 
Persia.  It  seems  therefore  that  he  was  writing  after 
the  outbreak  of  the  revolt  in    16S  and  before  the  ex- 


202      GREAT  LEADERS  OF  HEBREW  HISTORY 

pedltions  which  Lysias  launched  against  Judas  in  i66 
and  165  B.  c. 

Vision  of  four  beasts.  The  visions  of  chapters  7 
to  12  begin  with  four  great  beasts  coming  up  from  the 
sea.  The  first  beast  was  hke  the  winged  Hons  which 
guarded  the  palaces  of  Babylonia.  It  was,  however, 
made  to  stand  on  two  feet  like  a  man  and  had  a  man's 
heart  given  to  it,  while  its  wings  were  plucked  away. 
The  second  was  like  a  bear  and  in  its  teeth  it  carried 
three  ribs.  The  next  was  a  four  headed,  winged 
leopard.  The  fourth  could  not  be  likened  to  the  others 
nor  to  any  known  creature.  Its  teeth  were  of  iron, 
it  had  ten  horns,  and  it  devoured,  and  stamped,  de- 
stroying terribly.  A  little  horn  appeared  and  up- 
rooted three  of  the  ten;  a  most  curious  horn  it  proved 
to  be,  for  it  had  human  eyes  and  a  mouth  speaking 
great  things. 

Next  thrones  were  set  and  one  who  was  ancient 
of  days,  all  white  in  hair  and  garments,  sat  upon  a 
throne  of  flames.  The  last  beast  was  slain  and  its  body 
destroyed  and  given  to  be  burned.  Then  there  came 
with  the  clouds  of  heaven  one  like  a  son  of  man.  He 
was  brought  before  the  ancient  of  days  and  to  him 
there  was  given  a  universal  and  everlasting  dominion. 

Interpretation.  When  the  vision  is  interpreted  to 
Daniel,  it  proves  to  be  the  story  of  four  kings,  or  king- 
doms, who  are  to  be  succeeded  by  the  rule  of  the  saints 
of  the  Most  High.  The  little  horn  makes  war  with 
the  saints  and  prevails  until  the  ancient  of  days  comes 
and  judgment  is  given  to  the  saints.  The  fourth  beast 
is  explained  as  the  fourth  kingdom,  its  ten  horns  as 


•^  •    .;; 


A  HKLTKR  OF  JUDAS  203 

ten  kinp;s,  three  of  whom  shall  be  put  down  by  an- 
other king  who  shall  wear  out  the  saints  of  the  Most 
High  and  think  to  change  the  times  and  the  law.  The 
saints  shall  be  given  into  his  hands  for  three  and  a  half 
years,  but  then  the  judgment  shall  be  set  and  his 
dominion  shall  be  taken  away. 

The  readers  of  that  time  no  doubt  would  recognize 
the  four  kingdoms  as  those  represented  by  the  image. 
The  little  horn  is  the  present  ruler,  who  had  obtained 
the  kingdom  against  other  claimants  of  the  line  and  has 
spoken  great  things,  seeking  to  change  completely  the 
times  and  the  law  of  the  Jewish  worship.  Now  he 
is  wearing  out  the  saints  of  the  Most  High  who  have 
been  given  into  his  hand,  but  this  will  continue  for  only 
half  seven  years,  a  time  and  times  and  half  a  time. 
Then  the  kingdom  shall  pass  to  the  harassed  saints. 

The  ram  and  goat.  In  the  next  vision,  that  of  the 
ram  and  the  he  goat,  the  Medo-Persian  and  Greek 
kingdoms  are  symbolized.  Here  again  Antiochus  ap- 
pears as  a  little  horn  who  destroys  the  mighty  ones 
and  the  holy  people,  but  he  is  himself  to  be  broken 
without  human  agency. 

Thus  in  successive  visions,  full  of  strange  imagery 
such  as  Ezekiel  had  first  used,  the  writer  of  the  book 
of  Daniel  assures  the  hard  pressed  faithful  that  the 
success  of  Antiochus  will  be  brief  and  that  deliverance 
will  come  speedily. 

The  seventy  weeks.  Jeremiah  had  predicted  a 
punishment  of  seventy  years  for  the  nation,  but  it  seems 
to  this  writer  that  judgment  has  lasted  long  beyond 
that  period,  and  he  interprets  the  time  as  seventy  weeks 


204      GREAT  LEADERS  OF  HEBREW  HISTORY 

of  years.  At  the  end  of  the  first  seven  weeks,  forty- 
nine  years,  there  had  come  a  partial  deliverance.  This 
corresponds  closely  with  the  time  from  the  destruction 
of  Jerusalem  in  586  to  the  fall  of  Babylon  in  538  B.  c. 
Then  there  had  come  a  long  period,  sixty-two  weeks, 
followed  by  the  final  week  in  the  midst  of  which  the 
sacrifices  were  stopped.  The  last  half  of  this  seven 
year  period  seems  to  be  the  time  already  anticipated 
for  the  interruption  to  last. 

Historical  conflicts.  Future  life.  With  less 
symbolism  than  in  the  previous  surveys  of  history,  the 
writer  now  describes  the  conflicts  between  Persia  and 
Greece  and  those  between  Syria  and  Egypt,  down  to 
the  time  of  Antiochus,  who  will,  he  expects,  meet  his 
death  in  a  third  expedition  against  Egypt. 

The  visions  of  Daniel  end  with  a  description  of  the 
time  of  trouble  which  is  to  last  for  three  and  a  half 
years,  while  the  abomination  of  desolation,  the  altar 
of  Zeus  set  up  on  Jehovah's  altar,  shall  stand.  While 
the  wicked  do  wickedly  many  shall  make  themselves 
white  and  be  refined.  In  this  connection  there  is  given 
a  clearer  expression  of  faith  in  a  future  life  than  we 
found  in  the  book  of  Job,  a  life  in  which  they  that  are 
wise  shall  shine  as  the  brightness  of  the  firmament. 

Structure  of  book.  The  writer  of  the  book  of 
Daniel  was  one  of  the  party  of  the  Hasidim  who 
believed  that  the  dark  night  would  surely  end  in 
glorious  day,  when  God  himself  would  judge  and  de- 
stroy the  impious  king.  To  bring  this  faith  to  others, 
he  chose  the  stories  about  an  earlier  worthy  who  had 
been  faithful  in  exile  and  danger,  and  he  added  to  these 


A  HELPER  OF  JUDAS  205 

narratives  visions  which  he  put  into  the  mouth  of  his 
hero.  In  writing;  the  visions,  he  produced  a  great  ex- 
ample of  apocalyptic  literature. 

Apocalypse.  In  a  fully  developed  apocalypse,  his- 
tory which  is  already  past  at  the  time  of  the  writer  is 
told  under  symbols  of  animals,  etc.,  as  though  it  had 
been  thus  pictured  in  advance  by  some  ancient  man  of 
renown,  a  Daniel,  an  I'lnoch,  or  a  Moses.  The  history 
is  told  down  to  the  time  of  the  writer,  a  time  when 
Israel's  enemies  are  triumphant,  and  then  the  actual 
course  of  history  gives  place  to  vivid  hopes  of  speedy 
judgment  and  deliverance. 

It  was  chiefly  in  this  type  of  literature  that  the  faith- 
ful Jews  of  the  first  and  second  century  before  Christ 
expressed  their  hopes  of  a  Messiah,  God  anointed  one, 
who  should  come  to  bring  deliverance,  or  again  pictured 
God  himself  as  the  deliverer.  Only  a  small  part  of 
these  writings  was  included  by  the  Jewish  rabbis  in 
their  sacred  literature  or  Bible.  The  book  of  Daniel 
was  the  only  large  apocalypse  included  in  the  Bible  of 
the  Jews  of  Palestine,  although  there  are  apocalyptic 
elements  in  Kzekiel,  Zechariah,  and  Joel. 

The  Jewish  apocalyptic  writings  served  to  keep  alive 
the  hope  of  the  nation  in  many  a  dark  hour,  but  their 
expectation  of  bloody  triumph  over  enemies  embodies  a 
very  different  idea  of  the  kingdom  of  God  and  of  salva- 
tion from  that  which  Jesus  taught  in  parables  and 
realized  in  his  suffering  and  death. 

Important  Biblical  references:  The  Book  of  Daniel, 
especially  chapters  1-2,  7-8,  12. 


CHAPTER  XXIII 

THE   MACCABEAN   BROTHERS 

Feast  of  Dedication.  In  December,  even  down  to 
the  present  time,  the  Jewish  people  observe  the  feast 
of  Dedication;  the  feast  of  Lights  it  is  often  called 
from  the  burning  of  candles  in  connection  with  the  cele- 
bration. It  was  at  the  time  of  this  joyous  feast,  the 
1 2th  of  December,  19 17,  that  General  AUenby  entered 
Jerusalem  and  brought  to  an  end  four  hundred  years  of 
Turkish  misrule.  Since  the  Jewish  calendar  is  gov- 
erned by  the  moon,  the  date  of  the  feast,  25th  Chisleu, 
varies  somewhat  in  the  month  of  December,  but  it  is 
never  far  distant  from  the  Christian  Christmas  with 
its  lights  and  joy.  The  feast  commemorates  the  great 
day  when  Judas  and  his  followers  were  able  to  cleanse 
and  dedicate  anew  the  Jerusalem  temple,  after  its  de- 
filement by  Antiochus. 

Conditions  in  165  B.C.  The  Syrian  king  himself 
was  still  on  his  eastern  campaign,  Lysias  had  withdrawn 
to  Syria  after  his  disheartening  experience  at  Bethsur, 
and  the  Syrian  garrison  at  Jerusalem  was  kept  fast 
shut  within  the  citadel.  The  sanctuary  had  lain  deso- 
late for  three  full  years,  the  gates  had  been  burned, 
bushes  were  growing  rampant  in  the  court,  and  the 
priests'  chambers  were  lying  in  ruins.  The  central 
building  had  been  spared  and  the  great  stone  altar  still 

206 


THE  MACCABEAN  BROTHERS  207 

stood  before  It,  but  this  had  been  defiled  by  heathen 
sacrifice  performed  upon  the  Zeus  altar  erected  upon  it. 
We  cannot  wonder  that  the  people  on  that  day  made 
great  lamentation. 

Restoration  of  worship.     Ever  on  the  alert  to  meet 
the    practical    need,    Judas    appointed   certain   men    to 
hold  in  check  the  citadel  garrison  while  others  under- 
took the  cleansing.      The  carrying  out  of  the  defiled 
stones  was  entrusted  to  faithful  priests;  but  none  could 
decide  what  should  be  done  with  the  desecrated  altar. 
It  was  too  sacred  to  be  cast  out  and  too  polluted  to  be 
used.     So  they  decided  to  lay  the  stones  aside  until 
there  should  come  a  prophet  to  give  them  a  sure  oracle 
concerning  it.     With   fresh,  uncut  stones  they  built  a 
new  altar  like  the  old.     After  restoring  the  holy  place, 
they  brought  in  the  furnishings  of  the  temple,  burned 
incense,  lighted  anew  the  seven  branched  lamp,  and  set 
forth  the  shew  bread  as  of  old.     Then,  on  the  25th 
day  of  the  month,   they  resumed  the   daily,  morning 
sacrifice  and  proceeded  to  rededicate  the  entire  sanctu- 
ary with  a  festival  of  music  and  song  that  continued 
for  the  space  of  eight  days.     About  the  entire  sacred 
area  they  built  up  high  walls  and  towers  and  made  it  a 
most  defensible  citadel,  guarded  by  an  adequate  force. 
Local  campaigns.     As  in  the  days  of  Nehemiah  the 
little   province   of   Judea   was   surrounded   by   hostile 
peoples  who  did  not  wish  to  see  Jerusalem  independent 
and  prosperous.     The  Edomites  now  in  possession  of 
southern  Judea  were  the  first  to  make  trouble.     Judas 
marched  against  them  and,  at  "  the  Scorpion  Pass  " 
southwest  of  the  Dead  Sea,  defeated  them.      In  the 


2o8      GREAT  LEADERS  OF  HEBREW  HISTORY 

ancient  territory  of  Ammon,  east  of  the  Jordan,  danger 
next  demanded  his  attention.  There  he  met  a  large 
force  under  a  Syrian  officer  and  in  a  succession  of  en- 
gagements was  wholly  successful.  On  his  return  to 
Jerusalem,  news  reached  him  of  threatened  attacks  upon 
the  Jews  of  Gilead  and  Galilee.  Evidently  the  Jewish 
people  were  widely  spread  throughout  the  territory 
that  had  once  formed  the  kingdom  of  David  and 
Solomon.  To  all  their  co-religionists  Judas  and  his 
associates  felt  responsibility. 

Simon  and  Jonathan.  Judas's  older  brother  Simon 
and  younger  brother  Jonathan  now  come  prominently 
into  the  history.  In  the  earlier  struggles  these  men 
have  been  in  the  background,  subordinate  to  the  mili- 
tary genius  who  has  led  in  the  encounters  with  the 
successive  Syrian  armies.  Later  the  leadership  will 
fall  in  turn  upon  Jonathan  and  Simon.  For  the  present 
the  elder  brother  is  put  in  charge  of  the  force  of  three 
thousand  that  is  to  march  into  Galilee  while  Judas  and 
Jonathan  lead  eight  thousand  into  Gilead.  Both  ex- 
peditions are  victorious  and  they  bring  back  to  Judea 
their  fellow  countrymen  who  were  no  longer  safe  in 
those  outlying  districts. 

In  the  meantime  the  Jerusalem  forces,  under  two 
leaders  who  were  not  of  the  Maccabean  family,  had 
made  an  unsuccessful  and  costly  attack  upon  the  Syrian 
general  Gorgias  who  had  remained  in  Philistia  since 
the  battle  against  the  three  generals.  Both  the 
victories  and  the  defeat  seemed  to  make  it  evident 
that  the  Maccabean  brothers  alone  were  God's  chosen 
instruments  of  deliverance. 


THE  MACCABEAN  BROTHERS  209 

Death  of  Antiochus.  In  the  next  year  after  the  re- 
dedication  of  the  temple,  news  came  that  the  arch 
enemy  of  Judaism  had  met  his  death  while  on  his 
expedition  into  Mesopotamia.  To  his  kingdom  he 
had  bequeathed  faction  and  bloodshed  by  appointing 
one  of  his  generals  regent  and  guardian  of  his  young 
son,  in  place  of  Lysias  whom  he  had  left  in  control  of 
Antioch.  For  many  years  the  throne  was  to  be  the 
object  of  constant  strife.  The  contending  regents,  a 
son  of  Antiochus's  older  brother  named  Demetrius, 
his  sons  Demetrius  II  and  Antiochus  Sidetcs,  a  pre- 
tender Alexander  Balas  and  his  young  son  Antiochus, 
supported  by  his  father's  former  general  Tryphon  who 
finally  threw  off  pretense  and  attempted  to  make  him- 
self king  —  all  these  struggled  for  the  rule  and  each 
attained  more  or  less  complete  dominance  for  a  time, 
within  the  period  of  thirty  years  following  the  death 
of  Antiochus  Epiphanes.  Fortunately  we  need  not 
follow  the  details  of  these  wretched  struggles.  We 
need  only  note  how  they  revealed  the  weakness  of  the 
Syrian  throne  and  made  possible  the  fuller  attainment 
of  liberty  for  Judea. 

Religious  liberty.  The  time  now  seemed  favor- 
able for  a  siege  of  the  citadel,  but  word  of  the  danger 
reached  Lysias  in  Antioch  and  he  sent  a  great  army 
to  the  relief  of  the  small  Syrian  garrison.  The  host 
marched  down  through  the  Philistine  plains,  and  up 
through  Edom,  approaching  the  city  by  the  more  open 
route  from  the  south.  Judas  took  his  post  where  the 
natural  approaches  met,  a  few  miles  south  of  the  city, 
but  the  invading  host  was  too  great  and  after  a  des- 


2IO      GREAT  LEADERS  OF  HEBREW  HISTORY 

perate  battle  he  withdrew  to  the  city,  there  to  stand 
siege.  Soon  the  return  of  the  new  regent  from  the 
east  made  the  presence  of  Lysias  in  Antioch  essential, 
and  he  was  forced  to  make  terms  with  Judas,  recogniz- 
ing the  rehgious  Hberty  of  the  Jews.  This  marks  the 
formal  end  of  the  Syrian  attempt  to  stamp  out  the 
Jewish  worship. 

Internal  dissension.  The  year  162  B.  c.  thus 
marked  the  close  of  the  struggle  for  liberty  of  wor- 
ship, but  Syria  still  claimed  political  dominance,  and 
Syrian  garrisons  still  occupied  the  Jerusalem  citadel 
and  other  strongholds,  ready  to  enforce  claims  for 
tribute.  The  Hasidim  were  satisfied  with  the  restora- 
tion of  worship  and  the  appointment  of  a  new  high 
priest  of  the  legitimate  Aaronic  line.  With  the  Mac- 
cabean  hopes  for  complete  independence  they  had  scant 
sympathy.  So,  when  the  high  priest,  who  was  at  heart 
a  Hellenist,  appealed  to  the  king  for  support  against 
the  dominant  influence  of  Judas,  they  did  not  see  the 
real  danger  to  themselves  in  such  a  priest,  but  were 
ready  to  accept  his  authority.  Judas,  however,  still 
had  suflScient  support  to  keep  the  new  high  priest,  Alci- 
mus,  out  of  the  temple  and  to  defeat  a  Syrian  army 
sent  to  his  support  under  Nicanor. 

Death  of  Judas.  The  new  king  Demetrius  sent  an- 
other army  against  Judas  whose  followers  had  now 
dwindled  to  a  little  band  of  eight  hundred  men.  These 
fought  desperately,  but  their  leader  fell  and  the  day 
was  lost.  For  seven  years,  from  the  time  when  his 
father  Mattathias  raised  the  standard  of  revolt  against 
Antiochus  to  the  fateful  battle  of  Eleasa  in  161  B.  c, 


THE  MACCABEAN  BROTHERS  211 

Judas  had  endured  incredible  labors.  He  did  not  lead 
v^ast  armies  and  make  great  foreign  campaigns  like  the 
more  famous  generals  of  history,  hut  in  the  limited 
territory  given  him  to  defend,  he  showed  talents  of 
leadership  and  insight  into  strategy  such  as  few  mili- 
tary leaders  hav^e  possessed.  Had  his  own  people  con- 
tinued to  give  him  united  support,  he  might  well  have 
been  able  to  maintain  himself  for  many  years  longer 
and  to  win  political  independence  for  his  land.  As  it 
was,  he  won  for  his  people  religious  freedom  and  pre- 
served Judaism   from  destruction. 

Confusion  in  Judea.  With  the  downfall  of  Judas 
the  Syrian  forces  were  in  complete  control  in  the  land 
and  his  followers  were  hunted  out  and  punished.  The 
faithful  turned  to  Jonathan  for  leadership  as  he  made 
his  camp  in  the  difficult  wilderness  of  Tekoa,  some 
twelve  miles  south  of  Jerusalem.  Another  brother, 
John,  was  sent  across  the  Jordan  with  the  baggage  of 
the  band  to  the  friendly  Nabatheans.  Attacked  by 
the  people  of  Medeba,  a  town  near  Mt.  Nebo,  John 
and  his  company  were  overcome  and  the  goods  carried 
off.  A  little  later  Jonathan  and  Simon  learned  that 
there  was  to  be  a  great  wedding  among  the  people  of 
Medeba;  they  crossed  the  Jordan,  lay  in  wait  for  the 
joyous  procession,  and  took  full  vengeance  for  their 
brother  John.  Returning,  Jonathan  found  the  Syrian 
general  waiting  for  him  at  the  Jordan  where  an  inde- 
cisive battle  was  fought. 

Disloyalty  of  high  priest.  The  victorious  Syrians 
proceeded  to  establish  garrisons  at  many  strongholds 
throughout   the   land.     The   high  priest  now   showed 


212      GREAT  LEADERS  OF  HEBREW  HISTORY 

his  sympathy  with  the  foreign  rule  by  taking  down  the 
wall  of  the  inner  court  of  the  temple  that  marked  the 
separation  of  the  Jews  and  the  Gentiles  who  had  been 
admitted  only  to  the  outer  court.  When  this  priest 
soon  afterward  died  from  a  stroke  of  paralysis  or  some- 
thing of  that  nature,  loyal  Jews  very  naturally  inter- 
preted it  as  a  judgment  upon  him. 

Jonathan  high  priest.  For  a  time  the  high  priest- 
hood was  vacant  and  then,  strangely  enough,  it  fell  to 
Jonathan  who  had  won  the  confidence  of  the  Hasidim 
at  home  and  had  made  peace  with  the  Syrian  general. 
Different  claimants  for  the  throne  found  it  to  their 
advantage  to  confirm  him  in  the  ofllice;  but  alas,  a 
wretched  pretender  treacherously  got  him  into  his 
power  and  put  him  to  death,  fearing  his  support  of 
the  young  king. 

Political  liberty.  A  more  legitimate  heir  to  the 
throne  recognized  the  older  brother  Simon  as  high 
priest  and  in  order  to  secure  the  Jews'  support  for  his 
rule  declared  their  land  free  of  tribute.  From  this 
decree,  143  B.  c,  the  Jews  dated  a  new  era.  The 
Syrian  garrisons  were  still  in  the  land,  but  Simon  gained 
the  strongholds  that  controlled  the  roads  to  the  Philis- 
tine plain  and  to  the  south.  The  next  year  he  took 
the  Jerusalem  citadel,  which  for  twenty-six  years  had 
been  a  constant  menace  to  the  freedom  of  the  city  and 
temple.  The  following  year,  the  people  in  a  great 
assembly  declared  Simon  civil  governor,  military  chief, 
and  high  priest  forever  until  there  should  arise  a  faith- 
ful prophet. 

Twenty-five  years  of  war.     Under  the  wonderful 


THK  MACCABEAN  BROTHERS  213 

family  of  the  Maccabees,  the  Jewish  people  had  thus 
secured  practical  independence,  a  condition  which  they 
had  not  enjoyed  since  the  death  of  the  good  king  Josiah, 
more  than  four  and  a  half  centuries  earlier.  Judas, 
Eleazar,  John,  and  Jonathan  had  lost  their  lives  in  the 
struggle  that  lasted  twenty-five  years  from  the  revolt  in 
168  to  the  recognition  of  freedom  from  tribute  m  143. 
At  last  the  elder  brother,  who  had  modestly  and  loyally 
supported  the  leadership  of  Judas  and  Jonathan, 
although  he  himself  had  large  gifts  for  rule,  entered 
into  the  heritage  for  which  they  had  all  labored  to- 
gether. 

Death  of  Simon.  From  143  to  135  Simon  enjoyed 
with  the  people  the  independence  and  peace  so  hardly 
won,  and  then  he  was  cut  off  by  one  of  the  most  das- 
tardly acts  of  treachery  imaginable.  His  son-in-law, 
Ptolemy  the  son  of  Abubus,  had  been  appointed  to  the 
charge  of  the  plain  of  Jericho.  As  the  aged  Simon 
with  two  of  his  sons  was  on  a  tour  for  the  good  order- 
ing of  the  land,  he  came  down  to  Jericho,  where 
Ptolemy  made  a  banquet  for  the  visitors.  Here  all 
three  were  murdered.  Since  Ptolemy  now  sent  to  the 
Syrian  king  for  forces  to  aid  him  in  securing  the  land, 
it  is  probable  that  he  had  reason  to  believe  the  removal 
of  the  aged  ruler  who  had  secured  practical  independ- 
ence from  Syria  would  be  acceptable  to  the  court  at 
Antioch. 

Important  references:  Apocrypha,  I  Maccabees  4:38-7:50; 
9:1-11:74;  12:24-14:15;  15:38-16:24. 


CHAPTER  XXIV 

THE  STORY  OF  ESTHER 

Occasion  of  writing.  It  was  probably  after  Simon 
had  gained  political  independence  for  the  Jewish  state 
that  an  over  patriotic  Jew  wrote  the  story  of  Esther. 
Only  a  small  part  of  the  Jewish  race  was  living  in 
Judea  where  it  could  enjoy  the  privileges  of  its 
dearly  bought  political  and  religious  independence. 
Many  had  remained  in  Babylonia  and  thence  had 
spread  far  to  the  eastward  in  the  Persian  empire. 
Under  Artaxerxes,  we  recall  that  one  of  these  had 
risen  to  exalted  position  in  the  court  at  Susa.  In  the 
three  centuries  since  Nehemiah's  time,  the  Persian  rule 
had  given  way  to  that  of  Alexander  and  his  successors. 

Apparently  the  eastern  Jews  had  been  quite  as  rigid 
in  maintaining  their  separate  blood  and  religion  as 
those  of  Judea.  Doubtless  they  had  suffered  much 
on  this  account.  Their  co-religionists  in  Judea,  after 
gaining  independence,  must  have  sympathized  deeply 
with  their  scattered  brethren.  The  Maccabees,  we 
have  seen,  early  reached  out  across  the  Jordan  and  into 
Galilee  to  bring  their  people  safely  to  Jerusalem. 

At  this  era,  when  the  Palestinian  Jews  had  gained 
their  independence  and  present  safety,  a  skillful  nar- 
rator wrote  the  story  which  was  destined  to  become  in 
later  centuries  the  most  popular  with  his  own  people  of 
all  their  literature. 

214 


THE  STORY  OF  ESTHER  215 

Scene  and  time.  The  scene  was  laid  in  the  palace  of 
Susa  in  the  reign  of  Xerxes,  the  father  of  Artaxerxes 
under  whom  Nehemiah  Hved.  This  was  the  Xerxes 
who  succeeded  Darius  in  485  B.  C  and  continued  his 
father's  effort  to  conquer  Greece,  until  the  decisive 
battle  of  Salamis  determined  that  the  allied  free  states 
were  not  to  be  dominated  by  the  imperial  Persian  gov- 
ernment. The  story  was  laid  in  the  early  years  of 
Xerxes's  reign,  just  the  years  that  included  the  great 
expedition  across  the  Hellespont,  with  the  battles  of 
Thermopylae,  Salamis,  and  Plataea;  but  with  those 
world  shaping  events  it  is  not  concerned. 

The  feast.  According  to  the  Jewish  story,  Xerxes, 
styled  Ahasuerus,  made  a  great  six  months'  feast  for 
the  nobles  and  princes  of  his  vast  domain,  that  extended 
from  India  to  the  region  south  of  Egypt.  Then  in  the 
court  of  the  garden  of  the  king's  palace,  he  made  a 
week's  feast  for  all  the  people  who  were  in  Susa. 
The  scene  was  one  of  Oriental  magnificence  and  bounty 
such  as  has  seldom  been  witnessed.  Between  the  great 
marble  columns  were  hung  curtains  of  green  and  blue 
fastened  to  silver  rings  with  cords  of  fine  linen  and 
purple.  Upon  the  brilliant  pavement  of  porphyry  and 
varicolored  marble  were  set  golden  and  silver  couches. 
Silent  attendants  glided  among  the  guests,  offering  each 
choicest  wine  such  as  only  kings  were  wont  to  drink, 
poured  out  into  gold  cups  of  curious  form  and  work- 
manship. As  the  guests  quaffed  the  wine  they  noted 
that  no  two  cups  were  alike;  each  was  a  separate  work 
of  the  artificer's  skill. 

At  the  same  time  in  the  harem  the  beautiful  and 


2i6      GREAT  LEADERS  OF  HEBREW  HISTORY 

proud  queen  was  feasting  the  ladies  of  the  realm. 
The  king  himself  drank  until  on  the  last  day  of  the 
feast  he  lost  all  sense  of  decency.  No  doubt  in  his 
drunken  braggadocio  he  had  been  boasting  of  the 
queen's  rare  beauty.  Now,  to  prove  his  boast,  he  sent 
the  seven  eunuchs  who  ministered  in  his  presence  with 
command  that  the  queen  should  come  and  exhibit  her 
beauty  before  the  princes  and  the  people. 

Vashti's  refusal.  With  the  spirit  of  one  fit  to  be 
the  queen  of  a  great  realm,  the  beautiful  lady  flatly  re- 
fused to  present  herself  before  the  drunken  feasters. 
With  tipsy  dignity  Xerxes  holds  conference  with  his 
conclave  of  seven  chief  princes  skilled  in  the  law  of  the 
Medes  and  Persians.  Memucan  speaks  for  them  all: 
"  Vashti  the  queen  has  not  simply  wronged  the  king; 
she  has  started  a  general  rebellion  of  wives.  If  her  act 
goes  unpunished,  no  one  of  us  will  be  able  longer  to 
rule  his  spouse.  Then  there  will  be  enough  of  despis- 
ing and  wrath.  Let  the  king  make  a  wholesome  exam- 
ple of  the  queen  by  divorcing  her  with  an  unchangeable 
decree  of  the  Medes  and  Persians." 

The  decree  of  divorce.  The  maudlin  group  gave 
solemn  approval,  and  the  wonderful  courier  system,  by 
which  the  great  Darius  had  anticipated  Rome  in  knit- 
ting together  an  empire,  was  put  into  instant  operation. 
Over  the  level  country  swift  horsemen  galloped,  hand- 
ing on  the  decree  to  the  riders  on  sure-footed  mules  who 
carried  it  up  over  the  crags  of  the  great  mountains, 
and  on  to  the  camel  riders  who  went  out  over  the 
arid  regions  where  neither  horse  nor  mule  could  live. 
So  through  the  great  empire  the  foundations  of  society 


THE  STORY  OF  ESTHER  217 

were  safe  when  the  wives  of  the  princes  learned  that 
not  even  a  queen  might  disohey  her  husband,  drunk  or 
sober.  The  clever  writer  of  the  little,  liberty-loving 
state  thus  gave  us  the  first  scene  of  his  story. 

Esther  chosen.  When  the  king's,  hot  anger  passed 
and  he  began  to  think  about  Vashti,  the  servants  pro- 
posed to  him  that  the  most  beautiful  maidens  of  the 
empire  should  be  brought  together  that  he  might  select 
a  wife  in  her  place.  Among  these  fair  maidens  was  a 
certain  Jewish  orphan  who  had  been  brought  up  as  a 
daughter  of  her  older  cousin  Mordecai,  an  attendant 
at  t^he  king's  palace.  This  Jewish  damsel  pleased 
Xerxes  best  of  all  and  was  put  in  Vashti's  place.  A 
great  coronation  feast  was  held  in  her  honor,  her  race 
being  all  the  while  kept  a  secret. 

The  plot  discovered.  Her  cousin  s  place  was  to  sit 
in  the  great  square  tower  at  the  entrance  of  the  palace, 
where  the  Grand  Vizier  and  others  awaited  the  king's 
pleasure.  Here  Mordecai  learned  of  a  plot  by  two 
of  the  court  officers  to  assassinate  Xerxes.  He  man- 
aged to  get  the  information  to  the  queen,  who  informed 
the  king  in  her  relative's  name.  The  incident  was  duly 
recorde'd  in  the  royal  annals,  though  no  reward  was 
given  Mordecai  at  the  time. 

Haman  and  Mordecai.  Now  there  arose  to  power 
a  new  favorite  of  the  king  named  Haman  who  became 
the  chief  minister  of  state,  before  whom  all  the  princes 
and  courtiers  who  waited  in  the  king's  entrance  tower 
must  do  homage.  For  some  unexplained  reason  Mor- 
decai persistently  refused  to  obey  the  command  to  do 
obeisance.     Haman  in  great  wrath  determined  to  have 


2i8      GREAT  LEADERS  OF  HEBREW  HISTORY 

a  splendid  vengeance,  not  simply  upon  this  one  palace 
attendant,  but  upon  all  his  race  scattered  through  the 
empire. 

Pur  cast.  The  decree  of  death.  Daily  throughout 
the  whole  year,  from  the  first  to  the  twelfth  month, 
Pur,  the  lot,  was  cast  before  Haman.  Only  then,  it 
would  seem,  did  the  lot  indicate  a  favorable  time  for 
Haman  to  lay  his  charges  before  the  king.  He  pre- 
sented his  case  skillfully,  calling  the  attention  of  the 
monarch  to  the  fact  that  scattered  through  all  his  king- 
dom was  a  people  which  followed  its  own  laws  rather 
than  those  of  the  empire.  So  Xerxes  gave  permission 
to  Haman  to  send  out  a  decree  in  the  king's  name  for 
the  destruction  of  all  the  Jews  in  the  empire.  Again 
the  messengers  went  forth  to  carry  the  decree  to  every 
satrap  and  governor,  that  all  the  Jews  be  slain  eleven 
months  from  the  date  of  the  document. 

The  mourning.  Esther's  decision.  When  the  de- 
cree had  gone  forth,  the  king  and  his  chancellor  sat 
down  for  a  social  drinking  bout;  but  the  city  of  Susa 
was  in  much  perplexity  and  wherever  the  messengers 
passed  they  left  the  Jewish  population  in  great  mourn- 
ing. They  fasted,  wailing  and  lying  in  sackcloth  and 
ashes.  Mordecai  mourning  in  the  broad  place  before 
the  palace  gate  was  reported  to  Esther  by  her  maidens. 
When  the  queen  sent  to  learn  the  cause,  she  was  in- 
formed of  the  decree  and  charged  to  plead  with  the 
king.  Now  she  had  not  been  called  before  the  king 
for  thirty  days;  and  to  go  unsummoned  was  death, 
unless   the  king  should  choose   to   extend  his   golden 


THE  STORY  OF  ESTHER  219 

scepter   to    the    visitor.     Yet,    at    Mordecai's   behest, 
Esther  decided  to  go  and  perish  if  need  be. 

The  invitation.  After  fasting  and  prayer,  clad  in 
her  royal  robes,  the  queen  entered  unbidden  into  the 
inner  court  where  the  king  sat  upon  his  throne.  As 
she  stood  before  him  in  all  her  beauty,  the  king  ex- 
tended his  scepter  for  her  to  touch  and  bade  her  make 
her  petition  known.  All  she  asked  was  that  the  king 
and  his  chancellor  should  come  to  a  banquet  which  she 
had  prepared.  The  king  knew  that  this  must  be  only 
preliminary  to  some  more  important  request,  so  at  the 
supper  he  asked  again  for  her  petition.  In  answer  she 
invited  them  to  another  banquet  the  next  day,  at  which 
time  she  would  make  known  her  request. 

Mordecai  in  the  gate.  Going  out  from  the  first 
day's  feasting  in  great  pride  and  joy,  Haman  found 
the  stubborn  Mordecai  waiting  in  the  king's  outer  cham- 
ber and  Instantly  all  his  joy  was  turned  to  bitter  hate. 
At  home  he  boasted  to  his  wife  and  assembled  friends 
of  all  his  honors  and  wealth  and  of  the  queen's  especial 
favor  that  day,  but  added  that  all  this  counted  for 
nothing  while  the  Jew  Mordecai  sat  in  the  king's  gate. 
His  wife  suggested  that  he  have  an  enormous  gallows 
built  and  the  next  morning  ask  the  king  to  have  Mor- 
decai hanged,  so  that  he  might  go  merrily  to  the  ban- 
quet. 

That  very  night  it  happened  that  the  king  was 
sleepless  and  concluded  to  have  the  royal  annals  read 
to  him.  Perhaps  he  could  think  of  nothing  more  likely 
to  induce  speedy  slumber.     As  the  reading  went  on,  it 


220      GREAT  LEADERS  OF  HEBREW  HISTORY 

came  to  the  part  which  told  of  Mordecal's  exposing 
the  plot  against  the  king's  life.  Here  the  king  was 
wide  awake.  What  had  been  done  for  this  Mordecai? 
Nothing!  Seeking  counsel,  the  king  asked  who  was 
in  the  outer  court.  With  the  morning,  bright  and 
early,  Haman  had  come,  ready  to  make  request  for 
Mprdecai's  life.  The  king  asked  him  immediately 
what  could  be  done  for  the  man  whom  he  delighted  to 
honor. 

Haman  supposed  that  this  could  be  no  other  than 
himself  and  suggested  that  the  man  might  ride  through 
the  city  upon  the  king's  own  horse,  in  royal  apparel, 
and  conducted  by  one  of  the  most  noble  princes  of  the 
land.  Haman  proved  to  be  the  noble  prince  who  had 
to  conduct  Mordecai  in  royal  state,  proclaiming  be- 
fore him  through  the  city:  "  Thus  shall  it  be  done  for 
the  man  whom  the  king  delighteth  to  honor." 

After  this  public  humiliation  Haman  hastened  home, 
where  his  wife  and  counselors  advised  him  that  Mor- 
decai would  completely  triumph  over  him.  He  was  in 
foreboding  mood  when  the  king's  officers  conducted 
him  to  the  queen's  banquet. 

Haman's  fate.  Events  now  moved  quickly  to  a  con- 
clusion for  Haman.  When  the  king  again  bade  Es- 
ther make  known  her  petition,  she  told  him  that  she 
and  her  people  had  been  sold  to  be  destroyed  and  slain, 
greatly  to  the  king's  loss.  In  hot  indignation  he  asked 
who  and  where  was  the  man  who  had  presumed  to  do 
this.  The  queen  replied,  "  An  adversary  and  an 
enemy,  even  this  wicked  Haman."  In  great  agitation 
the  king  went  out  into  the  palace  garden.     When  he 


THE  STORY  OF  ESTHER  221 

returned  he  found  Haman  fallen  down  at  the  queen's 
feet  pleading  for  mercy  and  accused  him  of  attempted 
insult.  The  attendants  understood  the  king's  mean- 
ing and  led  off  the  recent  favorite,  while  one  of  them 
suggested  that  Haman's  gallows  were  already  pre- 
pared.     The  king  said:     "  Hang  him  thereon." 

The  dilemma.  Haman's  house  was  given  to  Esther 
and  she  placed  Mordecai  over  it.  To  him  too  the 
king  gave  the  seal  ring  which  he  had  taken  back  from 
Haman.  Still,  the  unchangeable  decree  of  the  king 
had  gone  forth  and  all  the  race  of  Esther  and  Mor- 
decai were  condemned  to  death. 

The  new  decree.  Again  the  swift  riders  went  forth 
with  a  new  decree.  Over  plain  and  mountain  and 
desert,  they  rode.  Wherever  they  passed  they  left 
the  Jews  in  gladness  and  feasting,  for  this  decree  gave 
the  doomed  ones  freedom  to  defend  themselves  when 
attacked  by  their  enemies.  So  when  the  day  appointed 
for  the  slaughter  came,  the  Jews  resisted,  while  the 
princes,  satraps,  and  governors,  fearing  Mordecai  the 
new  Vizier,  helped  them. 

The  Feast  of  Purim.  The  enemies  of  the  Jews  fell 
on  that  day  of  awful  slaughter  to  the  number  of  sev- 
enty-five thousand.  In  commemoration  of  this  deliv- 
erance, Mordecai  established  the  Feast  of  Purim, 
named  for  the  Purim,  the  lots,  which  Haman  cast. 
The  season  became  a  yearly  occasion  of  feasting  and 
gladness,  and  of  sending  portions  to  one  another  and 
gifts  to  the  poor. 

How  much  historic  fact  there  may  be  back  of  this 
remarkable  story  we  cannot  tell.      Certain  it  is  that 


222      GREAT  LEADERS  OF  HEBREW  HISTORY 

since  the  days  of  the  Maccabees  the  Feast  of  Purim 
has  been  observed  with  great  rejoicing  by  the  Jews 
scattered  far  and  wide.  It  has  served  to  perpetuate 
their  racial  antipathies  unfortunately,  far  more  than 
their  higher  moral  and  religious  ideals. 

Important  Biblical  reference:     The  book  of  Esther. 


CHAPTER  XXV 

JOHN  HYRCANUS  AND  HIS  UNWORTHY  SONS 

John  succeeds  Simon.     The   ingrate   Ptolemy  had 
intended  to  kill  all  the  sons  of  Simon,  but  John  who 
was  not  with  his  father  was  forewarned  and  had  the 
agents  of  Ptolemy  put  to  death  when  they  came  to 
assassinate  him.     This  son  of  the  beloved  Simon  was 
far  more  acceptable  to  the  people  than  Ptolemy,  who 
was  soon  shut  up  In  his  blood  stained  fortress  and  be- 
sieged by  the  forces  of  John.     Unfortunately  the  wife 
of  Simon  and  mother  of  John  was  a  prisoner  here  and 
her  son-in-law  threatened  to  dash  her  headlong  from 
the  walls  if  the  fortress  were  assaulted.     To  save  his 
mother  from  such  fate  John  raised  the  siege.     This 
gave  opportunity  for  Ptolemy  to  escape  across  the  Jor- 
dan where   he   disappears   from  the  history,   but  not 
without  first  having  murdered  the  mother. 

Tributary  to  Syria.  The  Syrian  king  Antlochus 
arrived  on  the  scene  too  late  to  cooperate  with  Ptolemy, 
but  his  forces  soon  appeared  In  the  land  and  besieged 
John  In  Jerusalem.  After  severe  sufferings  for  those 
in  the  city,  terms  were  made  by  which  the  Syrians  ac- 
cepted tribute  and  hostages  and  withdrew  from  the 
land.  For  some  seven  years  the  country  continued 
subject  to  Syrian  tribute,  and  Jewish  forces  formed  a 
part  of  the  great  army  which  Antlochus  led  against 

the  Parthlans  in  the  east. 

223 


224       GREAT  LEADERS  OF  HEBREW  HISTORY 

Parthia.  The  later  struggles  between  the  Romans 
and  the  Parthians  for  the  control  of  the  eastern  world 
give  general  historic  interest  to  the  Parthian  kingdom. 
For  a  hundred  years  before  the  time  of  John,  it  had 
been  growing  up  out  of  the  ruins  of  Alexander's  do- 
minions in  Persia.  Since  the  death  of  Antiochus  EpI- 
phanes  it  had  risen  to  great  power  and  now  extended 
westward  to  include  Mesopotamia.  The  present  An- 
tiochus (Antiochus  VII)  was  at  first  highly  successful, 
but  a  little  later  met  his  death  in  a  disastrous  battle; 
wounded,  he  threw  himself  down  from  a  rock  to  escape 
being  taken  alive. 

Expansion  under  John.  Samaritan  temple  de- 
stroyed. The  death  of  the  Syrian  king  made  complete 
independence  for  the  Jews  again  possible.  John  took 
advantage  of  the  opportunity  to  extend  his  sway  from 
Judea  over  the  peoples  east  of  the  Jordan,  the 
Idumeans  at  the  south,  and  the  Samaritans  at  the  north 
of  Judea.  He  captured  the  ancient  city  of  Shechem, 
on  the  shoulder  of  land  between  Mt.  Gerizim  and  Mt. 
Ebal,  and  destroyed  the  Samaritan  temple  on  the  sum- 
mit of  Gerizim;  this  had  stood  as  a  rival  of  the 
Jerusalem  temple  for  almost  three  hundred  years. 

Idumeans  incorporated.  The  Idumeans,  ancient 
Edomites,  who  had  taken  possession  of  the  southern 
part  of  Judea  during  the  Babylonian  exile,  were  so 
completely  subdued  by  John  that  he  was  able  to  give 
them  the  hard  choice  of  moving  out  of  the  land  or 
adopting  the  rites  of  the  Jewish  religion.  They 
adopted  the  latter  alternative  and  were  incorporated 
with  the  Jewish  people. 


JOHN  HYRCANUS  225 

Troubles  with  Samaritans.  Both  groups,  the  Sam- 
aritans and  Idumeans,  proved  dangerous  elements  in 
the  Jewish  state.  John  was  soon  forced  to  besiege 
Samaria,  the  strong  Samaritan  city  which  had  been  the 
capital  of  northern  Israel  in  the  old  days.  Hatred  be- 
tween the  Samaritans  and  the  Jews  continued  on 
through  the  centuries.  When  they  were  all  under 
Roma^'n  rule  in  the  first  Christian  century  they  had  no 
dealings  with  each  other  and  the  dispute  was  bitter  as 
to  whether  Gerizim  or  Jerusalem  was  the  right  place 
to  worship  God. 

First  step  toward  Herod's  rule.  The  Idumeans 
proved  an  even  more  dangerous  force  within  the  state. 
It  was  a  hated  Idumean,  Herod,  who  ruled  Palestine 
with  cruel  hand  at  the  time  of  the  birth  of  Jesus. 
The  story  of  how  this  came  about  we  shall  follow  later. 
The  first  step  we  note  now;  it  was  taken  when  John 
Hyrcanus,  the  son  of  Simon,  forcibly  incorporated  the 
Idumeans  into  the  Jewish  state  and  church. 

John's  territory.  The  rule  of  John  now  extended 
from  the  desert  on  the  south  and  east  to  Mt.  Carmel 
and  the  southern  part  of  the  plain  of  Esdraelon  on 
the  north,  and  to  the  sea  on  the  west.  The  little  terri- 
tory of  Judas's  day  had  been  multiplied  three  or  four- 

Internal  division.  Now  again  there  appears  the  old 
division  within  Judaism  which  had  cost  the  defeat  and 
death  of  Judas  a  generation  before.  It  will  be  re- 
membered  that  the  party  of  the  strict  reHgionists  had 
not  cared  for  political  independence  nor  for  military 
success,  except  as  their  right  to  observe  their  relig- 


226      GREAT  LEADERS  OF  HEBREW  HISTORY 

ious    ceremonies    might    be    immediately    endangered. 

Pharisees.  From  the  time  of  Jonathan  the  Jewish 
historian  Josephus  begins  to  apply  the  name  Pharisees 
to  those  strict  religionists  who  were  known  as  Hasi- 
dim  in  the  days  of  Judas.  Pharisee  probably  means 
separatist,  and  is  a  very  appropriate  name  for  those 
who  would  separate  themselves  from  all  secular 
ambitions  of  the  state  and  devote  their  whole  lives  to 
observing  and  maintaining  the  ceremonies  of  re- 
ligion. 

John  and  Pharisees.  John  was  at  first  most  friend- 
ly with  the  Pharisees.  To  some  of  them,  however,  it 
was  an  offense  to  have  John  hold  the  office  of  high 
priest.  Although  of  priestly  family,  he  was  not  of  the 
line  of  David's  priest  Zadok  to  which  the  law  now 
limited  the  high  priesthood.  It  was  over  this  issue 
that  trouble  arose  between  John  and  the  Pharisees 
which  led  to  the  removal  of  men  of  this  sect  from 
positions  of  authority. 

The  priestly  party.  In  the  days  of  struggle  for  in- 
dependence, there  had  been  many  Jews  who  did  not  care 
to  have  their  people  separate  from  the  rest  of  the 
Syrian  kingdom  either  religiously  or  politically.  This 
Hellenizing  (Greek)  party  seems  to  have  been  espec- 
ially strong  among  the  priests,  many  of  whom  in  the 
days  of  Antiochus  Epiphanes  had  deserted  the  temple 
sacrifices  for  the  games  in  the  Greek  gymnasium  set  up 
in  Jerusalem.  Even  members  of  the  high  priestly 
family  were  prominent  Hellenists.  With  political  in- 
dependence maintained  under  Simon  and  John,  sympa- 
thy with  foreign  rule  drops  out  of  sight,  but  the  aris- 


JOHN  HYRCANUS  227 

tocratlc,  priestly  party  has  no  sympathy  with  the  un- 
worldly separatism  of  the  Pharisees. 

Sadducees.  By  their  attitude  toward  his  rule  the 
Pharisees  forced  John  into  cooperation  with  the  other 
party.  Now,  or  perhaps  a  little  later,  this  other  party 
became  known  as  the  Sadducees,  a  name  supposed  to 
be  derived  from  Zadok  the  founder  of  the  high  priestly 
family.  The  Pharisees  and  Sadducees  who  appear  so 
prominently  in  the  New  Testament  were  thus  the  out- 
growth of  the  two  tendencies  which  marked  the  inner 
division  of  Judaism  in  the  second  century  before  Christ. 

Origin  of  sects.  It  is  not  difficult  to  trace  these  two 
tendencies  back  still  further  to  the  times  of  Nehemiah 
and  Ezra.  The  separatist  tendency  was  absolutely 
necessary  then  to  save  the  worship  of  the  God  of 
Israel  in  Palestine,  and  the  willingness  to  die  for  the 
law  was  perhaps  more  essential  under  the  persecution 
of  Antiochus  Epiphanes.  Like  many  good  things 
which  become  evils  when  they  are  overdone  and  kept 
up  too  long,  Pharisaism  had  an  honorable  origin. 

Aristobulus  king.  With  the  death  of  John  Hyr- 
canus  in  105  B.  c,  the  glory  of  the  Maccabean  rule 
passed  away.  John  left  the  high  priesthood  to  his 
son  Aristobulus  and  the  civil  government  to  his  wife. 
Aristobulus  was  not  satisfied  with  the  division  and 
quickly  managed  to  imprison  his  mother  and  also  three 
of  his  four  brothers.  Neither  his  father  John  nor 
grandfather  Simon  had  assumed  the  title  of  king. 
The  name  offended  many  of  the  people  who  looked  for- 
ward to  a  restoration  of  the  line  of  David  and  wished 
no  king  of  any  other  descent.     Now  they  had  to  endure 


228      GREAT  LEADERS  OF  HEBREW  HISTORY 

in  Aristobulus  a  high  priest  not  of  the  family  of  Zadok 
and  one  who  assumed  the  title  of  king,  though  not  of 
the  Davidic  line. 

Perhaps  most  of  the  people  would  have  become  rec- 
onciled, in  the  course  of  time,  to  this  state  of  affairs 
if  the  Maccabeans  of  the  third  and  fourth  generations 
had  been  at  once  moderate  and  strong  rulers.  They 
were  instead  men  who  did  not  know  at  all  how  to  deal 
with  the  internal  divisions  of  their  state  and  often 
cared  more  for  their  own  power  than  for  the  welfare 
of  the  people. 

Expansion  under  Aristobulus.  So  Aristobulus  im- 
prisoned his  mother  and  brothers  and  called  himself 
king  as  well  as  high  priest.  Besides  he  favored  the 
adoption  of  Greek  customs  and  ideas.  By  a  war  of 
conquest,  he  extended  his  territory  northward,  adding 
a  large  part  of  Iturea  to  Judea.  Iturea,  the  name 
later  applied  to  a  district,  north  east  of  Galilee,  may  at 
this  time  have  referred  to  Galilee  itself.  If  so,  it  was 
during  the  short  reign  of  Aristobulus  that  Galilee  be- 
came Judaized  as  we  find  It  in  New  Testament  times. 

Death  of  Antigonus  and  Aristobulus.  The  king 
loved  his  fourth  brother  Antigonus  and  treated  him 
with  favor,  but  some  of  the  courtiers  laid  a  plot  to 
prove  Antigonus  disloyal.  Aristobulus  had  fallen  sick 
and  sent  for  his  brother  to  come  to  him  unarmed, 
agreeing  with  those  who  had  accused  him  that  if  An- 
tigonus came  armed  he  should  be  killed.  They  then 
informed  Antigonus  that  the  king  wished  to  see  him  in 
his  new  armor.  So  they  made  him  seem  guilty  and  he 
was  killed  in   the  palace.     The  king's   sickness  soon 


JOHN  HYRCANUS  229 

proved  fatal  and  he  died  after  a  reign  of  only  one  year, 
suffering  remorse  for  the  murder  of  his  beloved 
brother. 

Alexander  king.  Perhaps  we  ought  not  to  blame 
Aristobulus  for  imprisoning  Alexander  Janna^us  who 
was  now  released  and  became  king.  He  was  of  a 
restless,  unbridled  character  and  might  well  be  dis- 
trusted. His  father  had  never  wanted  this  son  near 
him,  but  now  at  the  age  of  twenty-three,  in  104  B. c, 
he  inherited  the  rule  won  by  the  services  of  his  ances- 
tors. His  reign  of  twenty-six  years  was  a  period  of 
much  suffering  and  constant  uncertainty  for  the  people. 

Trouble  with  Egpytians.  He  soon  had  his  nation 
mixed  up  in  the  Egyptian  struggle  between  the  queen 
Cleopatra  and  her  son  Ptolemy  Lathurus,  for  he 
attacked  the  Greek  cities  on  the  Philistine  plain  and 
they  called  Lathurus  from  Cyprus  to  protect  them. 
This  brought  Cleopatra's  army  into  Palestine,  which 
was  saved  from  return  to  Egyptian  rule  only  by  the 
loyalty  to  Cleopatra  of  her  Jewish  subjects  in  Egypt 
and  the  plea  of  their  general  for  his  fellow  countrymen 
in  Palestine. 

Riot  at  the  temple.  Next  Jannaeus  made  success- 
ful expeditions  against  the  cities  east  of  the  Jordan  and 
on  the  seacoast  plain,  and  forced  the  Hellenic  inhabi- 
tants into  Judaism.  Then  he  brought  upon  himself 
the  wrath  of  his  own  people  by  his  wilful  changing  of 
the  ceremonial  in  the  temple  while  he  was  officiating 
as  high  priest.  It  may  seem  a  small  matter,  but  it  led 
to  awful  civil  struggle.  At  the  feast  of  the  Taber- 
nacles, he  poured  the  water,  symbolic  of  fruitfulness, 


230      GREAT  LEADERS  OF  HEBREW  HISTORY 

upon  the  ground  instead  of  the  altar.  The  worship- 
pers standing  about  with  the  citrons  used  in  the  wor- 
ship in  their  hands,  in  hot  indignation,  threw  these  at 
him.  In  the  riot  that  followed,  the  royal  mercenaries 
slew  six  thousand  men  before  the  temple  enclosure  was 
cleared.  Then  the  king  had  a  wooden  enclosure  built 
about  the  altar  to  shut  off  the  people  while  he  per- 
formed the  sacrifices  as  priest. 

Civil  war.  The  Pharisees  waited  their  time  for 
vengeance.  This  came  when  the  king  returned  to 
Jerusalem  after  a  most  disastrous  expedition  against 
an  Arabian  sheik.  Civil  war  broke  out  against  him 
and  lasted  for  five  years.  It  is  said  that  fifty  thousand 
lost  their  lives  in  the  struggle.  At  last  some  who  were 
hostile  to  Jannaeus  went  over  to  him  to  save  their 
weakened  country  from  falling  again  under  Syrian 
rule.  Thus  restored  to  power,  the  king  took  most  hor- 
rible vengeance  upon  his  enemies.  When  eight  hun- 
dred had  been  appointed  for  execution,  he  had  the 
throats  of  their  wives  and  children  cut  before  their 
eyes,  after  which  they  themselves  were  slain.  The 
king  watched  the  executions  as  he  reclined  at  a  drink- 
ing feast. 

Closing  days.  Not  long  afterward  Jannseus  was 
involved  in  a  conflict  between  the  king  of  Syria  and  an 
Arabian  king  Aretas.  In  this  he  suffered  disastrous 
defeat,  but  finally  succeeded  in  making  terms  with  Are- 
tas, while  the  later  years  of  his  reign  were  marked  by 
successful  expeditions  against  the  Greek  cities  across 
the  Jordan.     Returning  victorious  to  his  capital,   he 


JOHN  HYRCANUS  231 

received  all  outward  marks  of  honor  and,  dying  soon 
afterward,  he  was  buried  with  great  pomp. 

Unworthy  Maccabees.  Foreign  influences, against 
which  the  early  Maccabees  had  struggled  with  such 
heroism,  were  welcomed  by  the  Jewish  state  under  the 
rule  of  these  two  brothers,  Aristobulus  and  Alexander, 
w^ho  reigned  from  105  to  78  B.  c.  At  his  death  Alex- 
ander left  the  government  which  centered  at  Jerusalem 
extended  over  a  large  part  of  the  territory  that  David 
and  Solomon  had  once  ruled.  The  state  seemed  fair 
and  strong,  but  inwardly  it  was  full  of  all  enmity  and 
division  and  ready  to  fall  a  prey  to  foreign  rule. 

Important    reference:     Tosephus,    Antiquities    of    the    Jews, 
Book  XIII,  Chapters  XI-XV. 


CHAPTER  XXVI 

POMPEY  TAKES  CONTROL 

Alexandra  the  friend  of  the  Pharisees.  With  the 
death  of  Alexander  Jann£eus  the  positions  of  the 
Sadducees  and  Pharisees  suddenly  changed.  The 
story  was  that  the  king  advised  his  wife,  to  whom  he 
left  the  civil  power,  to  seek  the  friendship  of  the 
Pharisees.  The  wife's  brother  Simon  ben  Shetach  was 
a  very  distinguished  Pharisee,  and  it  may  be  that  the 
queen  needed  no  advice  from  her  dying  husband  to 
lead  her  to  change  the  policy  of  the  government.  The 
elder  son  named  Hyrcanus  was  made  high  priest,  while 
his  mother  maintained  her  civil  and  military  power  with 
an  army  of  mercenaries. 

Schools.  The  exiled  Pharisees  came  back;  those 
who  had  been  imprisoned  were  released.  Jewish  tra- 
dition has  it  that  the  queen's  brother  had  elementary 
schools  established  all  over  the  land  for  the  instruction 
of  the  children  in  reading  and  learning  the  law.  In  the 
earlier  days  it  had  been  the  duty  of  the  fathers  to  teach 
the  children  the  written  law  of  the  Lord,  and  from  a 
very  early  time  the  ability  to  read  and  write  was  ap- 
parently quite  widespread  among  the  Hebrew  people. 
Whether  it  was  now  or  somewhat  later  that  a  regular 
school  system  was  established,  the  rise  of  these  schools 
among  the  Jews  is  always  recognized  as  a  very  import- 
ant step  in  the  history  of  education. 

232 


POMPEY  TAKES  CONTROL  233 

Temple  tax.  Worship  in  the  temple  had  been  some- 
what dependent  upon  the  contributions  of  the  wealthy, 
but  Simon  succeeded  in  enforcing  a  poll  tax  of  one- 
half  shekel  per  man  for  the  regular  support  of  the 
Jerusalem  sacrifices.  Nehemiah  had  fixed  the  tax  at 
one-third  of  a  shekel,  but  evidently  this  had  not  proved 
enough;  perhaps  also  it  had  not  all  been  collected  m  the 

times  of  confusion. 

The  Sanhedrin.  The  Sanhedrin  or  council  ot 
elders,  which  included  the  ruling  priests  and  also 
scribes,  was  given  large  powers  to  decide  in  all  judicial 
and  rehgious  matters.  This  must  have  reduced  some- 
what  the  direct  authority  both  of  the  civil  ruler  and  the 
high  priest,  and  it  must  have  increased  the  influence  of 
the  leading  Pharisees  and  professional  students  of  the 
law,  the  scribes,  who  were  now  admitted  to  member- 
ship in  the  Sanhedrin. 

Sadducees  persecuted.  Fortresses  assigned.  Lat- 
er Pharisees  looked  back  upon  the  nine  years  of  Alex- 
andra's reign  (78  to  69  B.C.)  as  a  golden  age.  As 
such  we  might  regard  it  with  them,  if  history  had  pre- 
served only  records  of  the  things  of  which  we  have  been 
speaking.  Unfortunately  the  Pharisees  proved  little 
if  any  more  merciful  towards  their  opponents  than  the 
Sadducees  had  been  when  Jannceus  was  ruling.  Many 
were  put  to  death  and  the  survivors  joined  themselves 
to  the  queen's  younger  son  Aristobulus,  who  came  to 
his  mother  and  pleaded  with  her  that  these  men  might 
be  spared  and  permitted  to  occupy  the  fortresses  in 
different  parts  of  the  land.  The  queen  would  not  trust 
them   in   the   three   strongholds   where   her   treasures 


234      GREAT  LEADERS  OF  HEBREW  HISTORY 

were  stored,  but  allowed  them  to  find  safety  by  occu- 
pying a  number  of  strong  places. 

After  this  arrangement,  things  seem  to  have  gone  on 
quietly  for  a  short  time.  The  queen  who  had  seen  long 
years  of  civil  strife,  as  the  wife  first  of  Aristobulus  and 
then  of  Jannaeus,  may  well  have  rejoiced  in  the  ar- 
rangement she  had  made.  Her  eldest  son  was  content 
to  exercise  the  functions  of  high  priest  while  the  San- 
hedrin  really  controlled  matters  in  Jerusalem,  and  the 
more  active  elements  of  the  Sadducees  were  scattered 
in  the  different  fortresses  where  they  could  not  come 
into  clash  with  the  Pharisaic  leaders  of  Jerusalem. 

Aristobulus  rebels.  Then  the  queen  was  taken  dan- 
gerously ill,  and  her  younger  son  saw  the  opportunity 
for  which  he  had  no  doubt  been  waiting.  Stealing 
away  from  the  city  by  night  he  soon  had  his  friends 
aroused  throughout  the  land  and  in  a  fortnight  had  a 
large  number  of  followers  and  they  were  in  control  of 
many  fortresses.  The  queen  was  too  ill  to  act  and 
soon  died.  Hyrcanus  as  the  elder  son  was  proclaimed 
king  in  Jerusalem,  but  Aristobulus  defeated  him  in  a 
battle  near  Jericho  and  forced  him  to  resign  both  his 
high  priestly  and  royal  oflices. 

The  happy  day  of  Pharisaism  was  now  at  an  end, 
for  the  Sadducees  with  their  political  ambitions  for  the 
state  came  back  to  power  under  the  active  and  ambi- 
tious leadership  of  Aristobulus.  Hyrcanus  was  dis- 
posed to  submit,  and  things  might  have  gone  on  in 
comparative  peace,  had  it  not  been  that  the  governor 
of  Idumea  took  a  hand  in  affairs  at  the  capital. 

Antipater  supports  Hyrcanus.     When  John  Hyr- 


POMPEY  TAKES  CONTROL  235 

canus,  grandfather  of  the  present  Hyrcanus  and  Aris- 
tobulus,  annexed  Idumea  and  forced  the  people  to  adopt 
the  Jewish  religion,  he  appointed  one  Antipater  as  gov- 
ernor of  the  district.  Now  the  son,  also  named  Anti- 
pater, was  occupying  his  father's  position.  Just  as 
ambitious  as  Aristobulus,  he  was  probably  an  abler 
man.  He  saw  a  chance  by  supporting  the  legitimate 
claims  of  Hyrcanus  to  bring  himself  into  greater  power. 
So  he  stirred  up  Hyrcanus  to  fight  for  the  throne  and 
brought  the  Arabian  king  Aretas  Into  alliance.  The 
forces  of  Aristobulus  were  defeated  and  the  usurping 
king  himself  forced  to  take  refuge  on  the  strongly 
walled  temple  hill. 

Onias's  prayer.  Out  of  this  sad  time  of  civil  war 
and  fratricidal  strife,  there  comes  the  story  of  one  pious 
old  man  who  saw  the  real  nature  of  the  conflict  and  its 
sure  consequences.  Like  Balaam  of  old,  this  man, 
Onias  by  name,  had  gained  a  great  reputation  as  able 
to  bring  down  the  divine  blessing  or  curse.  The  fol- 
lowers of  Hyrcanus  brought  him  forth  to  pray  for  the 
discomfiture  of  the  Sadducean  party  who  were  besieged 
on  the  temple  hill.  Instead  he  stood  up  and  said: 
"  O  God,  the  King  of  the  whole  world,  since  those  that 
stand  now  with  me  are  thy  people,  and  those  that  are 
besieged  are  also  thy  priests,  I  beseech  thee,  that  thou 
wilt  neither  hearken  to  the  prayers  of  those  against 
these,  nor  bring  to  effect  what  these  pray  against 
those." 

Rome  in  Syria.  In  this  state  of  affairs,  when  peo- 
ple and  priests  were  fighting  against  each  other  and  vic- 
tory for  either  must  mean  weakening  of  the   nation, 


236      GREAT  LEADERS  OF  HEBREW  HISTORY 

suddenly  a  new  factor  was  brought  into  the  struggle. 
In  earlier  days  Rome  had  interfered  in  the  east  to  pre- 
vent the  Syrian  kingdom  from  being  too  large  and 
strong.  Now  the  political  situation  had  changed; 
Syria  itself  had  fallen  under  Roman  rule.  Pompey 
had  put  down  the  revolt  of  the  king  of  Pontus  in  Asia 
Minor,  conquered  the  king  of  Armenia,  and  brought  to 
an  end  the  dying  Syrian  state,  with  its  capital  at  An- 
tioch  whence  so  many  armies  had  gone  forth  against 
Palestine. 

Scaurus  comes.  The  Roman  conqueror  was  now 
planning  to  march  further  east  to  extend  his  power  as 
far  as  the  Euphrates.  Before  undertaking  this  peril- 
ous expedition  against  the  Parthians,  he  must  have 
his  base  well  established  throughout  all  Syria.  So 
Pompey's  general  Scaurus  was  already  in  Damascus 
and  was  looking  out  with  interest  toward  Palestine 
when  Aretas  in  support  of  Hyrcanus  was  besieging  Ar- 
istobulus  on  the  temple  hill.  Scaurus  promptly  moved 
southward  and  was  met  near  the  boundaries  of  Judea 
by  representatives  of  the  contending  forces.  Conclud- 
ing it  was  better  to  drive  off  the  Arabian  army  than  to 
besiege  the  stronghold,  he  compelled  Aretas  to  with- 
draw and  left  Aristobulus  in  control. 

Pompey  comes.  A  little  later,  in  the  spring  of  63 
B.  c,  Pompey  himself  came  to  Damascus.  The  rival 
factions  of  Judea  lost  no  time  in  laying  their  claims 
before  him.  A  third  group  was  represented  at  this 
conference  composed  of  those  who  were  tired  of  the 
Maccabees,  their  wars  and  strifes,  and  wanted  only 
the  rule  of  their  priests.     This  was  the  old  extreme  at- 


POMPEY  TAKES  CONTROL  237 

tltude  of  the  separatists  who  did  not  care  about  politi- 
cal independence  and  could  not  see  the  dangers  to  their 
religion  in  the  rule  of  foreign  powers. 

Pompey  takes  control.  This  party  now  got  its 
wish;  Rome  stepped  in  and  took  control.  Aristobulus, 
with  some  of  the  old  Maccabean  courage,  prepared  to 
resist  I^ompey.  His  followers  defended  themselves 
desperately  on  the  temple  hill,  but  the  supporters  of 
1  lyrcanus  had  admitted  the  Romans  to  the  city.  On 
a  June  sabbath,  the  Romans  breached  the  strong  walls 
and  cut  down  the  priests  who  were  quietly  ministering 
at  the  altar,  along  with  some  twelve  thousand  of  the 
brave  defenders. 

63  B.  C.  The  year  63  B.  c.  was  one  of  interest  in 
Roman  history,  marked  as  it  was  by  the  consulship  of 
Cicero,  the  conspiracy  of  Catiline,  and  the  birth  of 
Augustus.  In  Jewish  history  it  saw  the  close  of  the 
heroic  Maccabean  era  and  the  beginning  of  the  fate- 
ful Roman  rule. 

Jews  in  Rome.  Aristobulus  and  his  sons  were  re- 
served to  march  before  the  chariot  of  Pompey,  when 
he  should  return  to  Rome  to  receive  his  third  triumph, 
the  most  splendid  that  the  city  had  ever  seen.  With 
them  went  others  of  the  Jewish  captives,  all  of  whom 
were  allowed  to  settle  in  the  city  after  they  had  served 
as  a  spectacle  in  the  triumph.  In  this  way  there  arose 
a  Jewish  community  in  Rome  which  grew  by  accessions 
from  the  east  until  it  became  an  important  element  in 
the  Imperial  City.  It  has  even  been  suggested  that 
Pompey  was  thus  unwittingly  the  founder  of  the  Ro- 
man Church.     Quite  possibly  many  of  the  descendants 


238      GREAT  LEADERS  OF  HEBREW  HISTORY 

of  these  early  settlers  were  in  the  church  to  which 
Saint  Paul  wrote,  about  a  hundred  and  fifteen  years 
later. 

Pompey  in  the  temple.  Pompey  was  one  of  the 
most  generous  of  Roman  conquerors,  but  he  won  the 
bitter  hatred  of  the  orthodox  Jews  by  penetrating  the 
inmost  sanctuary  of  the  temple.  In  the  outer  room, 
which  only  the  priests  might  legally  enter,  Pompey 
saw  the  golden  table  of  shew-bread  and  the  seven 
branched  golden  lamp.  Touching  nothing  of  the  of- 
ferings of  gold  which  the  faithful  Jews  had  deposited 
here,  he  passed  on  through  the  great  curtain  into  the 
holy  of  holies. 

All  sorts  of  stories  were  circulated  to  account  for 
the  fact  that  the  Jews  were  so  scrupulous  in  guarding 
their  inmost  sanctuary  from  sight.  It  was  said  that 
their  object  of  worship  was  an  ass's  head  or,  as  we  said 
before,  Moses,  as  an  old,  long  bearded  man  riding  on 
an  ass.  The  Gentiles,  we  noted,  could  not  understand 
a  temple  without  an  image.  When  Pompey  pushed 
back  the  great  curtain  and  peered  into  the  dark,  cubical 
room,  he  found  nothing  at  all.  So  for  all  his  curiosity 
he  had  little  gratification  and  won  the  undying  hatred  of 
the  faithful  Jews. 

Pompey's  death.  When  Pompey  was  defeated  at 
Pharsalia  fifteen  years  later,  fled  to  Egypt,  and  was 
assassinated  as  he  stepped  ashore  in  that  land,  a  Jew- 
ish poet  wrote  :  "  And  I  delayed  until  God  showed  me 
that  insolent  one  lying  pierced  upon  the  borders  of 
Egypt,  made  of  less  account  than  him  that  is  least  upon 
earth  and  sea;  his  dead  body  lying  corrupted  upon  the 


POMPEY  TAKES  CONTROL  239 

waves  in  great  contempt,  and  there  was  none  to  bury 
him;  for  He  set  him  at  nought  in  dishonor.  .  .  .  He 
said:  I  will  be  lord  of  the  earth  and  sea;  and  perceived 
not  that  it  is  God  who  is  great,  mighty  in  his  great 
strength." 

Rebellions.  For  some  six  years  after  Jerusalem 
came  under  Roman  rule,  the  land  enjoyed  compara- 
tive peace.  Shorn  of  the  title  of  king,  the  inoffensive 
Hyrcanus  was  left  as  nominal  head  of  the  state  with 
the  astute  Antipater  as  his  minister.  Then  came  a 
series  of  uprisings,  first  under  Alexander,  son  of  Aris- 
tobulus,  who  had  escaped  from  Pompey's  train  on  the 
way  to  Rome,  and  then  under  Aristobulus  himself  who 
managed  to  get  back  after  a  time.  The  father  was 
captured  and  sent  back  to  Rome,  but  Alexander  re- 
mained in  the  land  and  soon  raised  another  rebellion. 
Antipater  was  sent  to  persuade  Alexander  and  his 
doomed  followers  to  lay  down  their  arms,  but  to  no 
avail,  and  they  soon  suffered  disastrous  defeat  near 
Mt.  Tabor. 

The  spirit  of  independence  was  still  strong  in  the 
line  of  Maccabees  and  in  the  thirty  thousand  men  who 
rallied  to  the  support  of  Alexander  against  the  Roman 
legate  Gabinius,  but  independence  could  not  be  won 
from  Rome  as  it  had  been  from  the  tottering  kingdom 
of  Syria  a  century  before. 

Important  reference:  Josephus,  Jewish  War,  Book  I, 
Chapters  II-VIII. 


CHAPTER  XXVII 

RISE  OF  THE  HOUSE  OF  HEROD 

The  second  triumvirate.  Before  Alexander's  effort 
to  overthrow  the  Roman  rule  In  Palestine  had  been  put 
down,  the  second  Roman  triumvirate  was  formed. 
Pompey  took  control  of  the  far  west  in  Spain;  Caesar 
undertook  the  first  expedition  into  Britain;  Crassus, 
the  third  member,  had  countless  wealth  and  wanted 
military  fame.  An  expedition  against  the  Parthians 
might  give  him  this. 

Crassus  in  the  east.  Pompey  had  respected  the  tem- 
ple treasure,  but  Crassus  knew  how  to  get  rich.  He 
promised  to  be  satisfied  with  a  great  present  and  then 
plundered  the  temple  besides.  Instead  of  military 
success,  defeat  and  death  met  this  shameless  robber  in 
Parthia.  His  lieutenant  Cassius,  coming  back  to 
Palestine  with  the  remnant  of  the  army,  had  to  put 
down  the  fourth  revolt  against  Roman  rule  that  had 
occurred  there  within  the  five  troubled  years  from  57 
to  52  B.  C. 

Antipater  helps  Caesar.  Three  years  later  Csesar 
crossed  the  Rubicon  and  the  period  of  civil  wars  began 
for  Rome.  After  Pompey's  death  Caesar  came  to 
Alexandria  with  an  inadequate  force.  He  was  in  a 
perilous  situation  there  when  Antipater  came  to  his  aid 
with   reinforcements.     In   return   Caesar   relieved  the 

240 


RISK  OF  THE  HOUSE  OF  HEROD  241 

Jews  of  tribute  and  military  duty,  permitted  them  to 
rebuild  the  walls  of  Jerusalem,  restored  some  cities 
which  Pompey  had  taken  away,  and  assured  them  re- 
ligious liberty. 

Caesar's  favors.  Though  Antipater  appears  as  the 
real  leader  whose  services  gained  all  these  benefits  for 
the  Jewish  people,  the  Tdumean  was  too  wise  to  seek 
for  himslf  the  nominal  leadership  of  the  state.  In- 
stead, civil  authority  was  restored  to  Hyrcanus  and  his 
titles,  both  as  tetrarch  and  high  priest,  were  made 
hereditary.  The  few  short  years  of  Caesar's  rule 
formed  a  happy  day  for  the  people  of  Judea,  except  the 
leading  Jews  who  looked  with  bitterness  on  the  growing 
power  of  Antipater. 

Antipater's  sons.  Soon  the  prime  minister  was  able 
to  assign  the  governorship  of  Judea  to  his  elder  son 
Phasael  and  that  of  Galilee  to  his  other  son  Herod. 
The  latter  was  "  exceedingly  young  "  when  he  took  up 
the  duties  of  his  office.  Of  strong  physique  and  nota- 
ble appearance,  he  was  renowned  for  his  skill  in  horse- 
manship, in  throwing  the  lance,  and  shooting  the  bow. 
On  one  day  he  had  killed  no  fewer  than  forty  specimens 
of  large  game  —  bears,  stags,  and  wild  asses.  Once 
assassins  surprised  him  in  the  bath;  when  he  sprang  out 
unarmed  and  unclothed,  they  fled  from  his  majestic 
presence.  Such  stories  illustrate  the  impression  of 
strength  and  force  that  he  made  upon  the  people  of 
his  time. 

Herod  and  the  Sanhedrin.  Herod  undertook  the 
duties  of  his  governorship  with  the  same  vigor  that 
marked  him  in  athletic  sports.     He  hunted  down  and 


242       GREAT  LEADERS  OF  HEBREW  HISTORY 

completely  broke  up  a  band  of  brigands  that  had  been 
spreading  terror  in  Galilee.  The  proconsul  of  Syria 
and  the  people  of  Galilee  appreciated  this  service,  but 
the  Sanhedrin  in  Jerusalem  saw  in  it  an  opportunity  to 
curb  the  growing  power  of  the  Idumean  family.  The 
young  governor  was  summoned  to  trial  for  trespassing 
upon  their  sole  right  to  inflict  the  death  penalty,  as  he 
had  upon  the  leader  and  other  members  of  the  band  of 
robbers.  At  his  father's  advice  Herod  appeared  be- 
fore the  council  with  a  body  guard  and  clad  in  a  purple 
robe  with  bright  armor  shining  underneath. 

The  proconsul  and  Herod.  At  first  the  grave  elders 
were  too  much  abashed  to  take  strong  action,  but  after 
a  little,  a  celebrated  Pharisee  spoke  freely,  warning 
them  that  they  could  not  pass  over  such  defiance  of  the 
law.  Sextus  Caesar,  the  proconsul  of  Syria,  had 
warned  Hyrcanus  that  Herod  must  not  be  condemned. 
So  when  it  became  evident  that  the  case  was  going 
against  the  young  governor  of  Galilee,  Hyrcanus  ad- 
journed the  court  and  gave  him  opportunity  to  escape 
from  Jerusalem. 

Herod  withdrew  to  Damascus  and  Sextus  Caesar  ap- 
pointed him  governor  of  Coele-Syria  north  of  Galilee. 
He  was  just  the  kind  of  man  the  proconsul  was  looking 
for  to  help  him  maintain  order  in  these  eastern  regions, 
so  distant  from  Rome  and  so  recently  brought  under 
her  rule. 

Herod  threatens  Jerusalem.  The  whole  incident  re- 
flects on  a  small  scale  the  scenes  that  were  transpiring  in 
Rome  during  those  years  when  the  Senate  was  strug- 
gling   to    maintain    its    power    against    the    growing 


RISE  OF  THE  HOUSE  OF  HEROD  243 

strength  of  great  individual  leaders  like  Pompey  and 
CcTsar.  Herod  quickly  decided  to  cross  his  Rubicon. 
He  raised  an  army  and  marched  against  Jerusalem, 
determined  to  overthrow  Hyrcanus.  His  father  and 
brother  urged  him  to  withdraw  to  Galilee.  He  did  so 
after  he  had  demonstrated  his  power  to  terrorize  those 
who  had  threatened  him. 

Herod  supports  Cassius.  Now  came  the  assassina- 
tion of  Julius  Cassar.  The  Roman  world  was  again  in 
convulsion  to  its  farthest  borders.  The  conspirators 
hastened,  Brutus  to  Macedonia  and  Cassius  to  Syria. 
They  must  raise  great  levies  to  meet  Caesar's  avengers. 
Cassius  laid  heavy  taxes  upon  Palestine,  not  hesitating 
to  use  the  powers  of  the  Syrian  governorship  to  which 
he  had  been  appointed  by  the  murdered  Caesar.  When 
some  of  the  border  cities  failed  to  meet  their  allot- 
ments, their  inhabitants  were  sold  as  slaves.  Herod 
managed  to  get  the  hundred  talents  apportioned  to  his 
district  with  promptness  and  was  promised  the  kingship 
of  Judea,  if  Cassius  and  his  associates  should  win  the 
coming  struggle  for  the  control  of  the  Roman  world. 

Uprising  in  Palestine.  Two  years  and  a  half  were 
spent  in  preparing  for  the  contest.  On  the  one  side 
were  Mark  Antony  and  Julius  Caesar's  nephew  Octa- 
vian,  later  known  as  Augustus,  on  the  other  Brutus  and 
Cassius.  In  the  autumn  of  42  B.  c.  their  armies  met 
at  Philippi  in  Macedonia,  but  before  this  time  Palestine 
was  again  in  confusion.  Antipater,  whose  strong  hand 
and  clear  head  were  greatly  needed,  had  been  poisoned. 
With  the  withdrawal  of  Cassius  from  Syria,  uprisings 
had  occurred.     One  of  these  was  dealt  with  by  Herod's 


244      GREAT  LEADERS  OF  HEBREW  HISTORY 

older  brother  Phasael,  the  governor  at  Jerusalem;  the 
other,  headed  by  Antigonus,  son  of  Aristobulus,  was 
put  down  by  Herod. 

Phasael  and  Herod  tetrarchs.  The  Idumean 
brothers  were  evidently  in  command  of  the  situation, 
but  they  had  supported  Brutus  and  Cassius  and  now 
these  were  overthrown  at  Philippi.  The  Jewish  lead- 
ers hostile  to  the  brothers  thought  they  saw  their  op- 
portunity and  sent  deputations  to  Antony  as  he  came 
to  take  control  of  the  east.  But  Antony  had  known 
Antipater  and  was  convinced  that  his  sons  were  best 
qualified  to  maintain  order  in  Palestine.  He  appointed 
them  tetrarchs  for  the  civil  control  of  the  Jewish  dis- 
tricts, taking  this  title  away  from  Hyrcanus  who  was 
left  only  the  high  priesthood. 

Secret  of  Advancement.  Whatever  party  won  in  the 
Roman  strife,  the  house  of  Herod  seemed  to  gain  new 
power.  The  secret  was,  no  doubt,  that  these  men 
were  really  best  fitted  to  do  for  Palestine  the  main 
thing  that  the  Roman  leaders  wanted  —  to  preserve 
order  and  keep  a  solid  front  on  this  eastern  border 
against  the  advance  of  the  Parthians.  Antipater  was 
evidently  a  man  of  towering  ambition,  working  cease- 
lessly to  establish  himself  and  his  descendants  In  real 
control  of  the  state  that  subdued  and  absorbed  his  own 
people,  yet  his  was  not  a  vaulting  ambition,  which  o'er- 
leaps  itself;  he  was  content  to  let  the  legitimate  heir 
of  the  Maccabean  line  enjoy  the  titles  of  authority  even 
under  the  Roman  rule. 

Mariamne.  Herod,  too,  recognized  the  people's 
loyalty  to  the  Maccabees  and  shrewdly  gained  for  his 


RISE  OF  THK  HOUSE  OF  HEROD  245 

family  heirship  in  both  the  lines  of  Hyrcanus  and 
Aristobulus,  for  he  betrothed  to  himself  Mariamne, 
who  was  granddaughter  of  Hyrcanus  on  her  mother's 
side  and  of  Aristobulus  through  her  father. 

Affairs  well  arranged.  It  must  have  seemed  to 
Antony,  as  he  gave  himself  up  to  a  round  of  pleasure  in 
Egypt,  in  company  with  the  fascinating  queen  Cleo- 
patra, that  he  had  things  well  arranged  for  peace  and 
order  in  Judea  and  Galilee.  The  two  competent 
brothers,  loyal  to  each  other,  were  keeping  order  in  the 
civil  state,  with  the  aged  Hyrcanus  quite  content  to 
exercise  the  imposing  office  of  high  priest.  There  were 
those  of  the  people  who  preferred  the  energetic  rule  of 
the  line  of  Aristobulus  with  its  courage  to  fight  even 
against  Rome,  but  Herod  had  proved  able  to  put  down 
the  rebellion  of  Antigonus  and  the  granddaughter  of 
Aristobulus  was  soon  to  become  his  wife. 

Parthians  and  Antigonus.  Antigonus  had  not 
given  up  his  ambitions.  In  these  he  won  the  support 
of  the  Parthian  king,  who  had  made  himself  master 
of  northern  Syria  in  these  times  of  confusion.  Two 
Parthian  armies  moved  south  into  Galilee.  Phasa^I 
and  Hyrcanus  were  persuaded  to  come  to  the  camp  of 
the  invaders  to  treat  for  peace.  Herod  saw  the  trick 
and  warned  his  brother  against  going,  but  he  and 
Hyrcanus  went  and  were  promptly  thrown  into  chains. 
Many  Jews  were  ready  to  support  the  son  of  Aristo- 
bulus, and  Herod's  only  safety  lay  in  flight. 

Herod's  flight  to  Masada.  At  night  with  his  fam- 
ily, his  betrothed,  and  a  few  followers  he  set  out  south- 
ward.    At   the   edge   of  the   wilderness,   a   few   miles 


246      GREAT  LEADERS  OF  HEBREW  HISTORY 

beyond  Bethlehem,  he  was  forced  to  defend  himself 
on  the  summit  of  an  isolated,  conical  mountain,  where 
later,  in  more  prosperous  years,  he  built  a  fortress 
and  called  it  Herodium.  At  length  with  great  diffi- 
culty the  little  band  got  through  to  Masada,  an  im- 
pregnable fortress,  in  the  rugged  wilderness  near  the 
southern  end  of  the  Dead  Sea.  The  difficult  and  deso- 
late character  of  the  region  is  vividly  pictured  in  the 
story  of  the  ride  to  En  Gedl,  with  which  Scott's  Talis- 
man begins.  The  fortress  is  at  the  summit  of  precipi- 
tous cliffs  that  form  a  mountain  top  on  the  shore  of  the 
sea,  standing  apart  and  cut  off  from  the  high  land 
behind.  It  is  approached  only  by  a  steep  and  narrow 
path  that  runs  along  a  razor  edge  of  rock.  Here  the 
little  band  could  defend  itself  indefinitely  against  An- 
tigonus  and  any  of  his  Parthian  supporters. 

To  Petra,  to  Egypt.  Leaving  his  brother  Joseph  in 
command,  Herod  himself  pushed  on  through  the  wil- 
derness to  the  old,  rock  bound  city  of  Petra,  hoping  to 
get  money  to  ransom  Phasael  from  the  Arabian  king 
whose  father  had  supported  Antipater  and  Hyrcanus 
in  the  first  struggle  against  Aristobulus.  Disappointed 
in  this  quest  through  the  Arabs'  fear  of  the  Parthians, 
Herod  went  on  to  Egypt,  where  he  hoped  to  find  his 
patron  Antony.  Disappointment  again  met  him,  for 
Antony,  aroused  at  last  to  the  critical  dangers,  had 
gone  to  Tyre,  the  only  Syrian  city  that  was  not  In  the 
hands  of  the  Parthians. 

To  Rome.  The  next  move  was  characteristic  of  the 
man  Herod.  Refusing  Cleopatra's  offer  of  the  com- 
mand  of   an   Egyptian   army,   he   sailed   straight   for 


RISK  OF  THK  HOUSE  OF  HEROD  247 

Rome.     Here  he  found  that  Antony  had  come  from 
Tyre. 

Herod  appointed  king.  Antony  and  Octavian  saw  in 
Herod  the  man  for  the  hour  of  Roman  need  in  Pales- 
tine and  secured  from  the  Senate  a  unanimous  decree 
making  him  king  of  Judea.  He  who  had  but  just  been 
a  fugitive,  hunted  out  of  Palestine,  now  left  the  Senate 
walking  between  the  rulers  of  the  Roman  world,  An- 
tony and  Octavian,  to  the  temple  of  Jupiter  on  the  Cap- 
itol. Here  he  offered  sacrifice,  after  the  Roman 
custom  of  inducting  officials  into  office.  Herod's 
grandfather  had  been  forced  to  adopt  the  Jewish  re- 
ligion, but  it  had  not  penetrated  the  Idumean  soul  far 
enough  to  give  Herod  any  scruples  against  sacrificing 
to  Jupiter.  The  autumn  of  40  B.  c.  thus  found  Herod 
with  the  title  of  king  of  Judea  and  the  authority  of 
Rome  at  his  back. 

Important    reference:    Josephus,     Jewish    War,     Book     I, 
Chapters  IX-XIV. 


CHAPTER  XXVIII 

HEROD  THE  KING 

The  rule  of  Antigonus.  The  Senate  had  appointed 
Herod  king,  but  for  the  time  being  Roman  rule  was  not 
effective  in  Palestine.  Antigonus  supported  by  the 
Parthians  was  ruling  there  as  king  and  high  priest. 
He  had  shown  himself  persistent  and  ready  to  risk 
danger  in  his  efforts  to  secure  the  throne  and  overthrow 
the  Roman  rule.  Many  of  the  people  loyally  sup- 
ported this  last  ruler  of  the  Maccabean  line. 

Once  having  attained  his  goal,  Antigonus  showed 
himself  lacking  in  the  abilities  of  either  military  leader 
or  statesman.  The  Parthian  general  turned  over  to 
him  his  uncle  Hyrcanus  and  Phassel.  He  had  the 
ears  of  the  old  high  priest  cut  off,  so  that  he  might 
be  forever  disqualified  for  the  priestly  office,  which 
could  be  occupied  only  by  one  without  physical  blemish. 
Then  he  turned  the  mutilated  old  man  back  to  the  Par- 
thians to  be  carried  off  to  the  far  east.  Phassel  es- 
caped vengeance  by  killing  himself.  Antigonus  also 
proved  himself  unable  or  unwilling  to  restrain  his  allies 
who  alienated  the  Galileans  by  their  plundering. 

Herod  in  Palestine.  When,  in  the  spring  of  39 
B.  C,  Herod  landed  at  Ptolemais  on  the  coast  of  Gal- 
ilee, the  people  of  that  region  were  ready  to  join  him 
in  his  expedition  against  Judea.     Marching  down  the 

248 


HEROD  THE  KING  249 

coast,  he  captured  Joppa  and  passing  through  the 
Idumean  territory  south  of  Judea  soon  put  an  end  to 
Antigonus's  investment  of  Masada.  When  his  suc- 
cess had  attracted  many  to  his  standard,  with  the  prom- 
ise of  Roman  aid,  he  undertook  the  siege  of  Jerusalem. 

Failure  of  Roman  aid.  Antigonus  proved  himself 
master  of  one  art,  that  of  bribing  the  Roman  general 
Silo,  who  had  been  ordered  to  support  Herod.  Silo 
insisted  that  his  troops  must  withdraw  into  winter 
quarters.  Down  in  the  warm  Jordan  valley  they  plun- 
dered the  city  of  Jericho  and  refused  to  take  any  action 
in  aid  of  Herod  until  spring.  For  Herod  there  was 
no  such  rest.  Insurgent  bands  in  the  mountains  of 
Galilee  must  be  suppressed  by  him.  His  brother 
Joseph  was  sent  meantime  to  maintain  order  in  Idumea. 
While  Herod  was  occupied  in  Galilee,  Silo  was  sum- 
moned to  Syria  to  fight  against  the  Parthians.  An- 
other Roman  general  sent  to  support  Herod  proved  as 
untrustworthy  as  Silo,  and  Herod  was  left  to  work 
out  his  own  problem. 

Confusion  of  Herod's  cause.  Antony  now  came  to 
Syria  to  deal  in  earnest  with  the  Parthians.  Herod 
joined  him  in  the  siege  of  Samosata  on  the  Euphrates 
and  rendered  such  assistance  that  Antony  assured  him 
full  Roman  aid  in  Palestine.  Herod  returned  to  find 
all  in  confusion.  The  people  of  Galilee  had  risen  and 
drowned  many  of  his  adherents  in  the  lake.  Joseph 
had  risked  battle  with  Antigonus  and  had  been  defeated 
and  killed.  Even  his  native  Idumea  was  in  a  threat- 
ening state.  Attacking  the  situation  with  his  full 
vigor,    Herod    soon    had    Galilee    under   control    and. 


250      GREAT  LEADERS  OF  HEBREW  HISTORY 

marching  southward  toward  Jerusalem,  met  and  de- 
feated an  army  of  Antigonus. 

Herod's  marriage.  He  was  now  in  a  position  to 
undertake  once  more  the  siege  of  Jerusalem,  but  the 
coming  on  of  winter  delayed  operations  for  a  time. 
The  spring  of  37  B.  c.  saw  all  in  readiness  at  last  for 
the  crucial  test.  While  the  siege  engines  were  being 
erected  against  the  north  wall  of  the  city,  from  which 
side  alone  the  place  could  be  approached  on  level 
ground,  Herod  went  to  Samaria  to  marry  Mariamne, 
to  whom  he  had  been  betrothed  for  five  years. 

Antigonus  overthrown.  When  all  was  in  readi- 
ness, Sosius,  the  general  sent  by  Antony,  appeared  at 
Jerusalem  with  a  large  force.  More  than  two  months 
were  required  to  batter  a  way  through  the  first  and 
second  walls.  Then  the  inner  court  of  the  temple  was 
stormed  and  the  upper  city  entered.  Amid  frightful 
slaughter,  Herod  prevented  the  Roman  soldiers  from 
desecrating  the  temple  itself  and  checked  their  accus- 
tomed plunder  by  his  own  personal  gifts.  Antigonus 
In  tears  begged  for  mercy  at  the  feet  of  Sosius  who, 
with  roars  of  laughter,  changed  his  name  from  Anti- 
gonus to  that  of  the  Grecian  maiden  Antigone.  Thus 
scorned,  the  last  ruler  of  the  Maccabean  line  was  sent 
to  Antony  at  Antioch  and  was  there  put  to  death  on 
Herod's  appeal.  He  was  the  first  king  to  be  scourged 
and  then  beheaded,  like  a  common  criminal,  by  the 
Romans. 

Herod's  opponents  destroyed.  Herod,  king  in 
name  for  nearly  three  years,  was  now  king  in  fact, 
"master  of  a  city  in  ruins,  king  of  a  nation  that  hated 


HEROD  THE  KING  251 

him."  Nearly  every  member  of  the  Sanhedrin  v.ho 
had  ten  years  before  summoned  the  young  governor  of 
Galilee  to  answer  for  his  deeds  was  now  put  to  death. 
Others  of  prominence  who  had  supported  Antigonus 
were  likewise  disposed  of,  and  their  property  was  con- 
fiscated. 

The  high  priesthood.  To  settle  the  question  of  the 
high  priesthood,  Herod  summoned  from  the  Jewish 
colony  in  Babylon  a  priest  named  Ananel  and  had  him 
inducted  into  the  office.  With  this  began  the  inner 
tragedy  in  the  rival  intrigues  of  the  women  of  Herod's 
family.  Alexandra,  daughter  of  Hyrcanus,  and 
mother  of  Mariamne,  could  not  endure  this  appoint- 
ment while  she  had  a  son  eligible  to  succeed  his  grand- 
father. She  began  plotting  with  Cleopatra  and  An- 
tony to  obtain  the  appointment  of  her  son  Aristobulus. 
Antony  advised  Herod  to  favor  the  young  man  if  pos- 
sible, and  so  he  deposed  Ananel  and  appointed  Aristo- 
bulus, then  a  youth  in  his  seventeenth  year. 

Jealousy  of  Aristobulus.  Only  a  few  months 
passed  before  Herod's  jealousy  was  aroused  by  the 
plaudits  of  the  people  when  the  tall  and  wonderfully 
attractive  youth  officiated,  in  his  beautiful  robes,  at 
the  feast  of  Tabernacles.  Herod  felt  sure  that  the 
people  would  not  be  satisfied  until  the  civil  power  also 
was  assigned  to  this  representative  of  the  royal  and 
priestly  line,  in  whom  all  the  glory  of  the  Maccabean 
family  seemed  to  be  blossoming  anew. 

Jericho  with  its  palm  groves  and  tropical  beauty 
was  the  fashionable  resort.  Here  Alexandra  invited 
Herod  and  Aristobulus  to  a  banquet,  a  few  days  after 


252      GREAT  LEADERS  OF  HEBREW  HISTORY 

the  fateful  feast  when  the  people  had  allowed  their 
enthusiasm  such  dangerous  expression.  Under  pre- 
tense of  sport,  in  the  bathing  pool  where  the  young 
men  were  refreshing  themselves,  members  of  Herod's 
guard  did  his  will  in  drowning  the  young  high  priest. 
Herod  lamented  loud,  with  tears  that  may  have  had 
some  sincere  grief  behind  them,  when  he  saw 
Mariamne's  brother  lying  still  and  dead,  so  young  and 
beautiful.  The  last  heir  of  the  Maccabean  line  who 
could  possibly  threaten  Herod's  hold  upon  the  throne 
was  now  removed,  but  fear  for  the  security  of  his  rule 
could  not  be  taken  from  Herod's  heart.  In  his  later 
years  his  own  sons  were  to  fall  similar  victims  to  his 
jealous  fears. 

Herod's  lamentations  and  the  magnificent  funeral 
accorded  Aristobulus  may  have  deceived  the  people, 
but  not  the  mother.  Alexandra  again  appealed  to 
Cleopatra,  who  desired  Herod's  kingdom  annexed  to 
her  own  and  was  ready  for  intrigue  against  him  at  any 
time.  The  Egyptian  queen  prevailed  upon  Antony 
to  summon  Herod  to  answer  for  the  crime.  It  was  a 
critical  moment  for  the  king,  but  he  persuaded  Antony 
and  escaped  judgment. 

Actium  31  B.  C.  In  31  B.C.  the  inevitable  clash 
came  between  Octavian  and  Antony,  It  was  Cleopa- 
tra's jealousy  of  Herod  that  saved  him  from  being 
with  the  forces  of  Antony  at  the  decisive  battle  of 
Actium.  She  had  hoped  to  dispose  of  Herod  by  hav- 
ing him  sent  off  on  a  perilous  expedition  against  the 
Arabians.  Instead  he  was  quite  successful  on  the  ex- 
pedition and,  after  Antony's  downfall,  he  boldly  went 


HEROD  THE  KING  253 

to  Rhodes  to  urge  upon  Octavian  his  faithfulness  to 
his  former  patron  as  ground  for  Octavian's  trust. 

Octavian  and  Herod.  The  new  world  dictator  knew 
the  worth  of  the  bold  and  energetic  king  in  the  task 
of  maintaining  order  on  the  eastern  border  of  the 
realm.  He  confirmed  him  in  his  office  and  added  ter- 
ritory to  his  kingdom,  until  Herod  ruled  from  Jerusa- 
lem a  larger  state  than  that  of  David  and  Solomon. 
From  this  time  on  until  his  death  in  4  B.  c.  Herod  was 
the  undisputed  ruler  in  Palestine. 

From  the  point  of  view  of  Octavian,  now  styled  Aug- 
ustus, Herod's  rule  was  generally  most  satisfactory. 
Augustus  wisely  gave  up  the  Roman  ambition  for 
conquest  beyond  the  Euphrates  and  counted  Syria  and 
Palestine  the  natural  limits  of  the  empire.  In  the  por- 
tion of  this  border  territory  assigned  to  him,  Herod 
was  able  almost  always  to  maintain  order  and  to  pre- 
serve a  strong  state  threatened  by  no  foe  from  the 
east. 

The  Augustan  age.  Augustus's  ambition  to  spread 
Greek  culture  throughout  the  empire  found  hearty  sup- 
port in  Herod's  court  where  Greek  scholars  and  artists 
were  welcomed  as  intimate  friends  and  advisers.  Al- 
exander and  Aristobulus  the  sons  of  Herod  and 
Mariamne,  who  were  expected  to  rule  after  their 
father,  were  sent  to  Rome  to  be  educated  in  the  bril- 
liant literary  circle  of  the  Augustan  court.  Here  they 
were  under  the  instruction  of  Pollio  the  friend  of  Virgil. 
Herod  used  the  revenues  of  his  state  to  revive  the 
Olympian  games  and  to  erect  splendid  temples,  colon- 
nades, gymnasiums,  and  theaters  at  Nicopolis,  a  city 


254      GREAT  LEADERS  OF  HEBREW  HISTORY 

founded  by  Augustus  on  the  west  coast  of  Greece,  at 
Rhodes,  in  the  famous  cities  of  Phoenicia,  and  in  Dam- 
ascus, as  well  as  in  various  places  of  Palestine  itself. 

Ceesarea.  In  his  territory  his  building  enterprises 
were  indeed  magnificent.  His  land  lacked  a  good  har- 
bor, so  he  built  one  with  a  great  stone  breakwater  two 
hundred  feet  wide,  sheltering  a  basin  as  large  as  that 
of  the  port  of  Athens.  On  the  mole  were  buildings 
and  a  delightful  promenade  for  hot  evenings.  Be- 
sides the  harbor  there  rose  a  magnificent  new  city, 
named  Csesarea  in  honor  of  Augustus.  Mariners  far 
out  at  sea  could  descry  the  temple  that  stood  on  an 
elevation  where  there  was  a  colossal  statue  of  Augustus 
and  another  of  Roma. 

Sebaste.  On  the  hill  of  Samaria  where  Omri  and 
Ahab,  eight  hundred  years  before,  had  built  the  capital 
of  northern  Israel  and  where  Herod  and  Mariamne 
had  been  married,  the  king  erected  another  beautiful 
city,  named  in  honor  of  Csesar,  Sebaste,  the  Greek 
equivalent  of  Augusta.  Though  twenty  centuries 
have  passed,  many  of  the  Greek  columns  still  stand 
marking  where  the  colonnaded  road  encircled  as  a 
crown  the  summit  of  the  beautiful  oval  hill.  Here  may 
be  seen  too  the  foundations  and  columns,  still  stand- 
ing, of  the  public  buildings  for  worship  and  recreation 
that  marked  every  Greek  city. 

Jerusalem.  In  Jerusalem  the  king  erected  a  splen- 
did palace,  gymnasium,  and  theater,  so  that  the  old 
Jewish  city  must  have  taken  on  much  of  the  appear- 
ance of  Athens  itself.  One  artistic  blemish  there  was, 
however,  as  Herod  gazed  about  his  capital.     On  the 


Substructures  of  Temple  Area 


Reconstruction    of    Herod's     rcinnli.       alici     i.  uiJ^^    ;; 


HEROD  THE  KING  255 

acropolis  stood  the  dingy  little  temple  of  Zerubbabel, 
over  whose  poverty  the  builders  in  Haggai's  day  had 
felt  so  discouraged.  For  five  hundred  years  this  mod- 
est structure  had  been  the  center  of  the  Jewish  worship. 
Desperately  the  people  had  fought  to  maintain  its 
sanctity  to  Jehovah  alone. 

Temple  rebuilt.  Herod  proposed  to  rebuild  the 
temple.  The  people  were  alarmed,  thinking  it  but  an 
excuse  to  take  away  their  sacred  place.  At  length 
scruples  were  overcome  and  building  began  in  the  year 
17  B.  c.  Enormous  masonry  walls  and  substructures 
were  built  about  the  rugged,  rock  summit,  on  the  south- 
ern slope  of  which  Solomon's  palaces  and  public  build- 
ings had  stood.  An  artificial  plain  was  thus  erected, 
with  terraces  at  different  levels  for  the  outer  and  inner 
courts  and  for  the  temple  itself,  which  stood  on  the 
highest  central  elevation.  Extensive  colonnades  and 
magnificent  gateways,  together  with  buildings  for  the 
use  of  the  priests  and  Sanhedrin,  occupied  some  of  the 
great  area  of  the  temple  enclosure. 

The  temple  proper  maintained  the  essential  features 
of  that  of  Solomon:  the  porch  with  the  altar  before  it; 
back  of  the  porch  the  holy  place,  with  the  inner  cham- 
ber beyond.  But  curiously  enough,  the  height  of  the 
building  was  doubled  and  the  porch  was  extended  with 
side  wings  and  lofty  elevation  until  it  formed  a  front 
of  imposing  dimensions.  Ten  years  of  labor  were  nec- 
essary before  the  buildings  were  ready  for  dedication, 
and  for  many  years  thereafter  work  was  progressing 
on  the  surrounding  structures. 

Commerce  and  taxes.     Without  great  development 


256      GREAT  LEADERS  OF  HEBREW  HISTORY 

of  foreign  trade  by  the  caravan  of  the  desert  and  the 
ships  of  the  Mediterranean,  it  would  have  been  im- 
possible for  Herod  to  tax  from  his  people  the  means 
for  all  the  luxury  and  splendor  that  made  his  court  a 
miniature  of  that  at  Rome. 

Important    reference:    Josephus,    Jewish    War,     Book     I, 
Chapters  XV-XXII. 


CHAPTER  XXIX 

THE    BEAST   IN    MAN   AND   THE   PROPHET  OF   GOD 

Death  of  Hyrcanus  and  Mariamne.  Outward 
splendor,  inward  fear,  jealousy,  plots,  and  death  tell  the 
story  of  Herod's  court.  Next  after  the  young  Aris- 
tohulus,  the  aged  Hyrcanus  fell  victim  to  the  king's 
fear  that  the  people  would  rise  in  support  of  some  one 
of  the  Maccabean  line.  Not  long  after  Herod's  rule 
was  firmly  established  by  the  favor  of  Augustus,  the 
king's  crafty  sister  Salome  contrived  to  make  it  appear 
that  the  proud  and  beautiful  Mariamne  was  plotting  to 
poison  him.  Condemned,  she  met  her  death  in  a  man- 
ner becoming  the  noblest  of  the  Maccabees. 

Death  of  Alexandra.  Now  Herod  sought  to 
drown  his  grief  in  feasting  and  hunting  until  his  ex- 
cesses brought  on  an  illness  that  for  a  time  unhinged 
his  reason.  While  he  lay  sick  at  Sebaste,  Mariamne's 
mother  tried  to  get  possession  of  the  fortified  places  in 
Jerusalem.  Herod  recovered  sufl^ciently  to  take  com- 
mand of  affairs  and  this  plotter  was  condemned  to 
death. 

Death  of  older  sons.  At  a  later  time  his  own  sons, 
Alexander  and  Aristobulus,  now  returned  from  Rome, 
fell  under  suspicion  through  the  rival  plottings  in  the 
court.  The  king  accused  them  before  Augustus  who 
effected  a  reconciliation,  but  the  plotting  went  on  and 

257 


258      GREAT  LEADERS  OF  HEBREW  HISTORY 

at  last  they  were  condemned  to  death  In  the  year 
7  B.  c.  Then  Herod's  oldest  son,  the  son  of  his  first 
wife  Doris,  who  had  been  the  arch  intriguer  against 
his  brothers,  was  himself  found  guilty  of  conspiring  and 
was  executed,  five  days  before  Herod  died. 

Mad  suspicions.  From  the  time  of  Mariamne's  ex- 
ecution in  29  B.  c,  it  almost  seems  that  Herod  was 
insane  on  the  subject  of  plots  against  his  throne.  His 
sister,  his  oldest  son,  and  others  were  skillful  intri- 
guers, it  is  true,  but  it  does  seem  that  the  Herod  of 
the  earlier  days  would  have  been  better  able  to  dis- 
tinguish friends  from  foes  than  the  older  man  proved 
to  be.  His  family  troubles  cost  Herod  something  of 
the  confidence  of  Augustus  and  prevented,  it  was  re- 
ported, his  receiving  even  greater  territory  that  Aug- 
ustus had  planned  to  assign  him. 

Strength  of  rule.  Politically  Herod  was  able  to 
maintain  himself  throughout  his  long  reign,  partly 
from  the  fact  that  he  understood,  better  than  any  gov- 
ernor from  Rome  could  do,  how  to  avoid  pressing  too 
hard  upon  the  strong  religious  sentiments  of  the  people. 
A  thorough  pagan  at  heart,  he  honored  many  deities  in 
many  cities,  but  in  Jerusalem  he  generally  respected  the 
worship  of  Jehovah.  If  rebellion  threatened,  the  re- 
sources of  the  autocrat  were  always  at  hand.  The 
fortified  towns  all  over  the  land  were  strongly  garri- 
soned, a  network  of  spies  kept  the  king  informed,  and 
large  gatherings  of  the  people  were  forbidden. 

Thus  for  thirty-three  years,  this  man  called  Herod 
the  Great,  strange  combination  of  power  with  weak- 
ness, of  generous  impulse  and  strong  affection  with  sus- 


Site  of  Herodium 


IHK  IJKAST  AxND  THE  PROPHET  259 

picion  and  cruelty,  kept  the  eastern  boundary  of  the 
Roman  lunpire  in  remarkable  freedom  from  military 
strife.  Besides,  he  made  Palestine  a  notable  center 
of  Gra?co-Roman  civilization. 

Death  of  Herod.  At  length,  worn  out  with  struggle 
and  passion,  he  fell  victim  to  a  wretched  disease.  His 
servants  carried  him  down  to  Jericho,  across  the  Jor- 
dan, up  onto  the  plateau  of  Moab,  and  then  down  to 
a  deep  canon  where  Calirhoe,  the  beautiful  river,  flows 
down  to  the  Dead  Sea.  Here  copious  springs  of  water, 
burning  hot,  gush  out  from  the  rock,  making  one  of 
nature's  sanitariums.  The  hot  baths  failed  to  cure 
the  old  king's  malady  and  he  was  carried  back  to  the 
palm  groves  and  soft  airs  of  Jericho,  there  to  die. 

Burial.  In  the  mad  rage  of  his  weakness  and  lone- 
liness, he  had  planned  to  have  the  chief  men  of  the 
land  killed  when  he  died,  that  there  might  be  genuine 
mourning.  This  was  not  carried  out,  but  the  funeral 
ceremonies  for  the  king  were  conducted  with  all  out- 
ward marks  of  honor.  A  great  and  magnificent  pro- 
cession brought  him  up  from  the  Jordan  valley  and 
finally  they  buried  him  in  the  castle  of  Herodium 
which  he  had  built  on  the  mountain  top  at  the  border 
of  the  wilderness,  southeast  of  Bethlehem. 

Birth  of  a  prophet.  In  the  struggle  to  preserve 
Judaism  from  disappearing  in  the  long  years  of  waiting 
after  the  exile,  we  have  seen  how  the  prophets  disap- 
peared. Priest  and  scribe  with  their  emphasis  upon 
religious  ceremony  were  the  leaders  of  the  faithful, 
while  men  of  selfish  ambition  and  bloody  tyranny  strove 
for  the  rule  of  the  state.     Prophecy  with  its  burning 


26o      GREAT  LEADERS  OF  HEBREW  HISTORY 

message  of  justice,  kindness,  and  compassion  in  God 
and  man  had  long  been  silent.  But  in  the  latter  end 
of  Herod's  reign,  a  true  prophet,  like  unto  Elijah  of 
old,  was  born  in  the  hill  country  of  Judah.  His  father 
was  a  priest  who  ministered  a  portion  of  each  year  in 
the  temple. 

Wilderness  of  Judea.  As  the  future  prophet  grew 
to  young  manhood  he  loved  the  solitude  of  the  wilder- 
ness, which  lies  between  the  summit  of  the  Judean 
mountain  range  and  the  deep  valley  of  the  Dead  Sea. 
The  warm,  moisture  laden  winds  from  the  Mediter- 
ranean bring  copious  rains  for  a  part  of  the  year  to 
the  western  slope  of  the  mountains,  but  when  these 
winds  pass  over  the  hot  valley  beyond  the  summit,  they 
retain  their  moisture  so  that  the  eastern  slope  of  the 
mountains,  down  almost  to  their  foot.  Is  desert.  In 
this  desolate  region  the  youth  had  wandered  and  medi- 
tated on  the  evils  that  prevailed  in  the  land. 

Rule  of  Archelaus.  His  boyhood  was  passed  in  the 
confusion  that  followed  Herod's  death,  when  the  king- 
dom was  split  up  among  three  of  the  remaining  sons. 
Judea,  with  Idumea  at  the  south  and  Samaria  at  the 
north,  had  been  assigned  to  the  eldest  of  these,  Arch- 
elaus. It  was  in  this  district,  or  tetrarchy  as  it  was 
called,  that  the  priest's  son  lived.  For  ten  years 
Archelaus's  territory  was  In  sore  distress,  for  the 
tetrarch  was  quite  unable  to  keep  order  as  his  father 
had  done.  Then  Augustus  heeded  the  charges  that 
the  people  brought  against  him  and  banished  him  to 
Gaul.  The  future  prophet  was  a  boy,  perhaps  four- 
teen or  fifteen  years  old,  when  this  occurred. 


THE  BEAST  AND  THE  PROPHET  261 

Evil  conditions.  Whether  his  parents,  wlio  were 
old  at  his  birth,  were  still  living  we  do  not  know.  If 
Zacharias  had  continued  able  to  minister  in  his  course 
at  the  temple,  he  must  have  brought  back  to  the  vilhige 
home  sad  stories  of  the  misgovernment  of  Archehius 
and  of  the  dissatisfaction  of  the  priests  and  other  lead- 
ing men  in  Jerusalem  with  the  way  things  were  being 
conducted.  In  his  own  village  the  boy  knew  of  the 
abuses  from  which  his  neighbors  and  all  the  people 
suffered;  how  the  tax  gatherers  were  accustomed  to 
enrich  themselves  by  extorting  money  by  violence  and 
by  making  false  accusations  against  Innocent  people. 

Education  of  John,  As  a  priest's  son,  John,  for 
such  was  the  youth's  name,  may  very  well  have  had 
even  more  thorough  Instruction  in  the  ancient  history 
of  his  people  than  that  given  in  the  synagogue  to  all 
the  boys.  Probably  the  instruction  had  centered  on 
the  Pentateuch  with  its  laws  of  priestly  ceremonial,  but 
the  lives  and  teachings  of  the  prophets  had  appealed 
far  more  to  him.  He  had  read  the  stirring  stories  of 
Elijah  who  had  appeared  suddenly  from  across  the 
Jordan  and  had  taught  king  Ahab  that  the  God  of 
Israel  required  even  kings  to  do  justice  and  not  to 
wrong  their  subjects.  He  had  read  the  wonderful 
words  of  the  Great  Unknown  who  had  called  himself 
a  voice  crying  In  the  wilderness,  saying,  "Make  ye 
straight  the  way  of  the  Lord."  No  doubt  he  had  read 
also  the  sermons  of  Amos,  MIcah,  and  Isaiah  who  had 
taught  that,  more  than  all  burnt  offerings  and  hymns 
of  praise,  God  requires  that  the  rich  and  powerful  be 
just  and  merciful  to  the  poor  and  weak,  that  the  mer- 


262      GREAT  LEADERS  OF  HEBREW  HISTORY 

chant  be  content  with  a  fair  price  for  a  good  measure 
of  grain.  These  foundation  teachings  of  the  great 
prophets  had  been  sadly  forgotten  by  the  religious  as 
well  as  the  civil  leaders. 

Rule  of  Rome.  When  Augustus  was  considering 
the  arrangements  to  be  made  for  Palestine  after 
Herod's  death,  the  deputation  of  leading  Jews  who 
appeared  before  him  at  Rome  requested  that  their  land 
might  be  taken  directly  under  Roman  authority  as  a 
part  of  the  Syrian  province.  Perhaps  they  thought 
this  would  give  the  Sanhedrin  more  authority  than  it 
enjoyed  under  the  rule  of  a  Herod.  At  the  banishment 
of  Archelaus  in  6  A.  D.,  the  emperor  decided  to  take 
Judea  under  direct  Roman  authority,  but  in  a  different 
way  from  that  which  the  Jewish  representatives  had 
intended.  Instead  of  making  them  immediately  re- 
sponsible to  the  Syrian  legate,  he  sent  out  a  procurator, 
as  was  customary  with  districts  that  were  particularly 
difficult  to  govern. 

When,  therefore,  John  came  to  manhood,  Judea  was 
under  the  rule  of  a  procurator  who  lived  at  Csesarea, 
but  came  up  to  Jerusalem  and  occupied  Herod's  palace 
at  certain  seasons  of  the  year.  He  farmed  out  the 
customs  to  men  who  committed  their  collections  to  tax 
gatherers,  the  hated  publicans  of  whom  so  much  is 
heard  in  the  New  Testament.  Of  the  first  four  pro- 
curators we  know  but  little;  in  the  year  26  A.  D.,  Pon- 
tius Pilate,  a  reckless,  hard  man,  came  out  as  the  fifth 
procurator. 

The  prophet's  commission.     Early  in  the  adminis- 


THE  BEAST  AND  THE  PROPHET  263 

tration  of  Pilate,  John,  who  had  now  grown  to  mature 
manhood  living  an  ascetic  life  in  the  wilderness,  felt 
the  impulse  that  came  to  the  prophets  of  old  to  declare 
God's  truth.  Coming  into  the  fertile  regions  round 
about  the  river  Jordan  he  preached  repentance  unto 
remission  of  sins  and  called  upon  men  to  be  baptized. 
A  bath  of  purification  was  familiar  to  the  Jews  as  a 
religious  rite.  When  proselytes  were  admitted  to  the 
Jewish  Church,  a  ceremonial  bath  was  customary.  The 
Essenes,  a  sort  of  monastic  order  of  Jews  who  lived 
apart  in  the  wilderness,  practiced  frequent  ceremonial 
ablution.  With  John  baptism  was  administered  once 
and  for  all  to  any  who  would  repent  of  their  sins  and 
enter  upon  a  life  of  honesty  and  kindness  practiced 
day  by  day. 

Multitudes  flocked  to  the  man  of  God  at  the  Jordan. 
Men  who  had  been  living  the  dishonest,  cruel  lives  of 
publicans  and  plundering  soldiers  came  asking  the 
desert  preacher  what  they  should  do.  He  pointed  out 
their  sins  without  fear  or  favor,  telling  the  tax  gath- 
erers to  take  only  the  proper  amounts  appointed  to 
them  and  the  soldiers  to  stop  plundering  and  black- 
mailing the  unfortunate  people.  On  all  who  had  prop- 
erty he  enjoined  a  generous  sharing  with  the  poor. 

The  forerunner.  The  people  were  in  expectation  of 
a  Messiah  and  questioned  whether  this  man  of  God 
might  not  be  the  longed  for  deliverer.  To  such  sug- 
gestion John  made  quick  denial,  declaring  himself  the 
forerunner  whose  work  was  but  a  mild  preparation  for 
that  of  the  one  who  would  come  to  baptize  them  in  the 


264      GREAT  LEADERS  OF  HEBREW  HISTORY 

Holy  Spirit  and  fire.  That  one  would  thoroughly 
cleanse  and  separate,  gathering  the  wheat  and  burning 
the  chaff. 

The  fox.  Some  of  John's  preaching  was  done  be- 
yond the  borders  of  Judea  in  the  territory  of  Herod 
Antipas,  younger  brother  of  Archelaus,  who  was  te- 
trarch  of  Galilee  and  the  east-Jordan  territory.  Jesus 
once  styled  this  Herod  "  that  fox,"  and  such  he  was, 
with  all  the  cunning  and  unscrupulousness  of  his  worst 
ancestors.  Once  he  made  a  visit  to  a  half-brother  who 
was  living  as  a  private  citizen  in  Rome.  The  brother 
entertained  Antipas  most  generously.  In  return  he 
shamelessly  proposed  marriage  to  the  brother's  wife, 
Herodias.  Ambitious  and  unscrupulous,  she  preferred 
to  be  the  wife  of  a  tetrarch  rather  than  of  one  who 
was  living  as  a  private  citizen. 

Imprisonment.  John  the  Baptist  fearlessly  re- 
buked Antipas  for  his  unlawful  marriage  and  gained 
the  deadly  hatred  of  Herodias.  Antipas  arrested  the 
daring  preacher  on  the  ground  that  he  was  disturbing 
the  peace  with  the  excitement  that  his  preaching  was 
arousing.  He  imprisoned  him  in  the  lonely  fortress 
of  Machaerus,  at  the  southern  border  of  his  East-Jor- 
dan territory,  on  a  steep  mountain  summit  overlooking 
the  Dead  Sea. 

Death  of  John.  In  order  to  marry  Herodias,  Anti- 
pas had  divorced  the  daughter  of  the  Arabian  king 
Aretas.  Naturally  enough,  this  brought  war  upon 
him  from  his  wife's  father;  kings  are  not  wont  to  per- 
mit their  daughters  to  be  divorced.  Perhaps  It  was 
this  war  that  took  Antipas  and  his  court  to  the  southern 


THE  BE:AST  and  THE  PROPHET  265 

border  fortress  where  John  was  imprisoned.  The 
king's  birthday  coming  around,  it  was  celebrated  with 
a  drinking  feast,  war  or  no  war.  At  the  feast,  the 
daughter  of  Herodias  stooped  to  the  part  usually  per- 
formed by  slave  girls  and  danced  for  the  amusement 
of  the  drunken  feasters.  Herod  was  delighted  and, 
in  his  maudlin  recklessness,  promised  her  anything  to 
the  half  of  his  kingdom.  Instructed  by  her  mother, 
the  girl  asked  for  the  head  of  John,  who  lay  in  the 
dungeon  of  the  great  castle.  The  demand  startled 
Herod  into  a  half  sobriety.  He  knew  the  danger  of 
killing  one  whom  the  people  counted  a  prophet,  but  his 
courtiers  were  witnesses  of  his  promise  and  he  must 
carry  it  out. 

The  first  and  second  Elijah.  The  famous  scene  pic- 
tures for  us  the  old  forces  of  selfish,  beastly  life  face 
to  face  once  more  with  the  demands  of  the  ancient 
prophets  for  righteousness  and  purity.  The  first 
Elijah,  forerunnner  of  the  great  prophets,  had  come 
from  beyond  the  Jordan  and  had  denounced  Ahab  and 
his  wife  Jezebel  who  were  bringing  into  Israel  the  vices 
of  the  pagan  world.  The  second  Elijah,  last  of  the 
ancient  prophets  and  forerunner  of  the  new  dispen- 
sation, met  his  death  in  the  frowning  fortress  of 
Machaerus,  beyond  the  Jordan. 

The  end  of  the  old  era.  Jesus  declared  that  among 
those  born  of  women  there  was  not  a  greater  than 
John,  yet  the  lesser  in  the  kingdom  of  heaven  was 
greater  than  he.  The  old  struggle  between  the  beast 
in  man  and  the  call  upward  to  Godlike  living  had  ended 
in  one  era.     The  new  era  had  already  begun,   for  a 


266      GREAT  LEADERS  OF  HEBREW  HISTORY 

new  power  had  entered  human  life,  even  the  Divine 
incarnation  In  our  Lord  and  Saviour,  Jesus  Christ. 
John,  like  the  apocalyptists,  had  looked  for  a  con- 
suming fire.  In  his  imprisonment  he  questioned 
whether  this  meek  and  gentle  one  might  be  the  deliv- 
erer and  sent  messengers  to  ask.  The  reply  was: 
"  Go  and  tell  John  the  things  which  ye  have  seen  and 
heard;  the  blind  receive  their  sight,  the  lame  walk,  the 
lepers  are  cleansed,  and  the  deaf  hear,  the  dead  are 
raised  up,  the  poor  have  the  gospel  preached  to  them." 

Important  references:  Luke  i :  5-25,  39-45,  57-80;  3:  1-21 ; 
7:  18-34;  Matthew  14:  1-12;  Josephus,  Antiquities,  Book 
XVIII,  Chapter  V,  §§  i,  2. 


CHAPTER  XXX    . 

REVIEW  AND  CONCLUSION 

Scope  of  Study.  The  present  volume  has  covered 
a  period  of  more  than  seven  hundred  years  of  Biblical 
history,  from  the  reign  of  Manasseh  to  the  death  of 
John  the  Baptist.  The  chief  characters  considered 
have  included : 

(i)  Six  kings  and  one  queen  of  Judea  —  Manas- 
seh, Josiah,  John  Hyrcanus,  Aristobulus,  Alexander 
JannsEus,  Alexandra,  Herod. 

(2)  Twelve  prophets  —  Nahum,  Zephaniah,  Jere- 
miah, Habakkuk,  Ezekiel,  the  Great  Unknown,  Hag- 
gai,  Zechariah,  Malachi,  Joel,  Jonah,  John  the  Baptist. 

(3)  One  governor  of  Judea  —  Nehemiah. 

(4)  One  scribe  —  Ezra. 

(5)  Three  great  deliverers  —  Judas,  Jonathan, 
Simon. 

(6)  Two  heroes  and  a  heroine  of  popular  story  — 
Job,  Daniel,  Esther. 

(7)  Many  philosophers,   generally  anonymous. 
The  study  has  also  brought  to  our  notice  some  of  the 

most  famous  characters  of  ancient  history  outside  of 
the  Jewish  race  —  Nebuchadrezzar,  Cyrus,  Darius, 
Xerxes,  Alexander  the  Great,  Antiochus  the  Great, 
Antiochus  Epiphanes,  Pompey,  Cleopatra,  Julius 
Caesar,  Mark  Antony,  Caesar  Augustus.     A  mere  list 

267 


268      GREAT  LEADERS  OF  HEBREW  HISTORY 

of  such  famous  names  of  Babylonian,  Persian,  Greek, 
Syrian,  Egyptian,  and  Roman  history  shows  how 
closely  the  story  of  the  Bible  is  interwoven  with  that 
of  the  great  civilizations  of  antiquity  other  than  the 
Jewish. 

Position  of  Palestine.  The  people  of  the  Bible  lived 
at  the  bridgehead  between  Asia  and  Africa,  on  the  line 
of  connection  between  the  three  continents  of  the  east- 
ern hemisphere.  Across  the  bridge  of  Asia  Minor  and 
Syria  there  moved  from  the  dawn  of  history  the  com- 
merce and  the  armies  of  the  world.  The  people  who 
dwelt  in  the  mountain-top  capital  of  Judea  lived  right 
beside  the  great  highway,  which  ran  along  the  Philis- 
tine plain.  If  they  chose,  they  might  keep  themselves 
somewhat  aloof  from  the  traffic  which  passed  at  their 
feet  In  times  of  peace.  But  in  times  of  war  they  were 
inevitably  brought  Into  the  tide  of  conflict;  no  con- 
queror could  safely  leave  their  strong  hills  out  of  ac- 
count in  moving  about  the  eastern  end  of  the  Medi- 
terranean. 

Inevitable  contacts.  Egypt  and  Babylon.  Persia. 
Manasseh  voluntarily  aped  the  worship  of  Assyria, 
the  great  power  of  his  day.  His  grandson  Josiah 
tried  to  keep  Jehovah's  worship  free  from  all  foreign 
admixture,  but  he  was  forced  to  fight  against  the 
Pharaoh  who  was  leading  his  armies  from  Egypt  to 
annex  all  the  western  part  of  the  Assyrian  empire. 
Nebuchadrezzar,  driving  Egypt  back  to  Africa,  took 
firm  possession  of  the  bridgehead.  Repeated  attempts 
to  throw  of?  the  Babylonian  rule,  relying  on  help  from 
Egypt,   resulted  in  the  destruction  of  Jerusalem  and 


REVIEW  AND  CONCLUSION  269 

the  transportation  of  the  leading  Jews  to  Babylonia. 
Cyrus's  conquest  of  Babylon  permitted  the  rebuilding 
of  Jerusalem  and  reorganization  of  the  Judean  state, 
but  now  as  a  sub-province  of  one  of  the  great  satrapies 
into  which  the  Persian  empire  was  divided.  Nehe- 
miah's  influence  with  Artaxerxes  made  possible  the  re- 
building of  the  walls  of  Jerusalem,  and  the  separation 
of  the  Jews  from  their  neighbors  in  Sabbath  observ- 
ance and  temple  worship. 

Greece.  Alexander,  overthrowing  the  Persian  Em- 
pire, brought  about  the  establishment  of  Greek  colonics 
in  the  fertile  plains  that  lay  about  the  hills  of  Pales- 
tine. In  time,  Greek  civilization  almost  absorbed 
Judaism,  until  the  efforts  of  Antlochus  Epiphanes  to 
hasten  the  process  and  force  absolute  Hellenization 
upon  the  Jews  aroused  the  Maccabean  revolt  and  led 
to  the  establishment  of  the  most  rigid  Judaism,  at 
least  among  the  Pharisees. 

Rome.  In  the  course  of  Rome's  eastern  conquests, 
Palestine  became  a  part  of  the  borderland  of  the  great 
empire.  This  was  the  first  time  in  three  thousand 
years  of  recorded  history  that  the  land  ceased  to  lie 
between  the  chief  centers  of  civilization.  She  was 
still,  however,  in  the  center  of  the  struggles  of  the  em- 
pire for  world  dominance,  and  had  her  part  to  play 
in  the  new  battle  between  the  powers  of  the  east  and 
west,  Parthia  and  Rome. 

Augustus  made  Palestine  a  frontier,  giving  up  the 
effort  of  his  predecessors  to  rule  beyond  the  border- 
lands of  the  Mediterranean  in  the  heart  of  Asia.  Yet, 
under  the  close  interrelation  of  his  realm  the  land  was 


270      GREAT  LEADERS  OF  HEBREW  HISTORY 

in  vital  touch  with  the  artistic,  intellectual,  and  com- 
mercial life  of  the  capital. 

Danger  by  absorption.  Much  of  the  effort  of  the 
loftiest  and  purest  spirits  among  the  Jews,  who  lived 
and  labored  in  the  seven  centuries  under  review,  had 
to  be  expended  to  prevent  their  people  from  being  ab- 
sorbed in  the  successive  civilizations  that  dominated 
their  land  and  political  life.  Josiah,  Jeremiah, 
Ezekiel,  and  the  Great  Unknown,  Haggai  and  Zecha- 
riah,  Nehemiah  and  Ezra,  Judas  and  Simon  all  had  an 
important  part  to  play  in  this  task.  Through  their 
efforts,  supported  by  many  unnamed  heroes  of  the  faith 
who  preferred  death  to  giving  up  their  principles,  the 
religion  of  the  God  of  righteousness,  unseen  creator  and 
ruler,  was  preserved  through  all  the  dangers  of  the  cen- 
turies, until  the  second  Elijah  heralded  the  new  day, 
when  truth  was  no  longer  to  be  preserved  through 
separation. 

Variety  of  personalities.  Our  study  has  served  to 
show  us  also  what  a  great  variety  of  men  and  abilities 
were  needed  to  develop  and  preserve  Israel's  contribu- 
tion to  civilization.  Half  of  the  great  characters 
studied  are  grouped  together  as  prophets,  yet  how 
utterly  different  from  one  another  were  many  of  these. 
Two  men  more  unlike  in  their  natural  temperament 
than  Jeremiah  and  Ezekiel  or  Haggai  and  Zechariah 
it  would  be  difficult  to  name,  yet  neither  of  these  could 
really  have  accomplished  his  work  without  the  support 
of  the  other. 

Jeremiah    and    Ezekiel.     Haggai    and    Zechariah. 


REVIEW  AND  CONCLUSION  271 

Jeremiah  in  Jerusalem  and  Ezekiel  in  Babylon  together 
prepared  the  exiles  for  the  destruction  of  Jerusalem 
and  saved  them  from  losing  all  faith  in  God  when  the 
great  blow  fell;  yet  Jeremiah  cared  not  for  religious 
ceremonial  and  Ezekiel  dreamed  of  the  most  elaborate 
organization  of  worship  for  the  restored  community. 
Haggai  was  the  practical  man  who  saw  the  next  thing 
to  be  done  and  knew  how  to  rouse  other  men  and  get 
it  started;  Zechariah  was  the  seer  of  visions  who  gave 
men  the  deep  hope  and  faith  necessary  to  keep  up  their 
courage  through  years  of  effort  and  disappointment. 

Nehemiah  and  Ezra.  Judas  and  Simon.  Others 
than  the  prophets  among  our  leaders  offer  similar  ex- 
amples of  the  need  of  men  of  different  character  and 
interests  to  accomplish  the  tasks  which  were  essential. 
Nehemiah  the  shrewd  courtier  and  practical  statesman 
and  Ezra  the  student  and  lawyer  supplemented  each 
other  wonderfully  in  building  up  the  wall  of  stone  and 
the  wall  of  legal  separation  that  made  the  future  of 
Judaism  possible.  Judas  the  impetuous  soldier  and 
Simon  the  astute  diplomat  were  both  needed  to  bring 
about  independence  from  Syria. 

Variety  of  writings.  What  a  variety  of  thinkers  too 
were  required  to  meet  the  needs  of  the  different  classes 
of  people.  The  heart  broken  appeals  of  Jeremiah,  the 
gorgeous  imagery  of  Ezekiel  and  Zechariah,  the 
strange  symbols  of  Daniel,  the  wondrous  songs  of  the 
Great  Unknown,  the  dramatic  poem  of  Job,  the  homely 
sayings  of  the  Wise,  the  vivid  memoirs  of  Nehemiah, 
the  inspiring  narratives  of  Jonah  and  Esther,  all  these 


272      GREAT  LEADERS  OF  HEBREW  HISTORY 

may  serve  to  suggest  the  great  variety  of  prose  and 
poetry  that  expressed  the  many  sided  thought  of  these 
centuries. 

Israel's  gift.  Israel's  great  gift  to  the  world  was  the 
faith  that  there  is  one  God,  creator  and  ruler  of  heaven 
and  earth;  that  this  God  is  holy  and  loving;  that  he 
requires  men  to  be  just  and  kind  toward  one  another 
and  reverent  toward  him.  Some  great  thinkers  of 
Egypt,  Greece,  Rome,  and  other  ancient  lands  saw 
some  of  these  truths,  but  it  was  in  Israel  alone  that 
there  was  a  great  succession  of  thinkers  and  teachers 
who  fully  developed  this  belief  and  made  it  the  faith  of 
a  large  part  of  the  nation. 

New  teachings.  Much  of  this  belief  had  already 
been  developed  and  taught  in  the  centuries  preceding 
those  considered  in  this  volume,  but  some  of  its  highest 
features  were  first  revealed  through  the  great  leaders 
whom  we  have  studied.  Earlier  prophets  had  taught 
that  God  was  just  and  merciful  to  nations;  Jeremiah 
and  Ezekiel  were  the  first  to  recognize  that  each  indi- 
vidual man  stood  before  God  on  his  own  record. 
Earlier  teachers  had  seen  that  God  and  Israel  entered 
into  a  mutual  covenant  or  contract  at  Sinai;  Jeremiah 
was  the  first  to  realize  that  until  all  the  people  should 
know  Jehovah  and  have  his  law  written  on  their  very 
hearts,  they  could  not  be  truly  his  people.  Earlier 
prophets  had  taught  that  God  ruled  in  the  nations 
round  about  Israel;  but  the  Great  Unknown  was  the 
first  to  declare  him  the  creator  of  the  heavens  and  the 
earth.  Jeremiah  and  he  were  the  first  to  declare  also 
that  the  supposed  gods  of  other  peoples  were  nothing 


REVIEW'aND  conclusion  273 

at  all.  Earlier  prophets  had  believed  that  God  was 
merciful  and  forgiving  toward  Israel;  the  writer  of 
Jonah  represented  him  as  ready  to  forgive  the  cruel 
Assyrians  if  they  would  but  repent  and  put  away  their 
evil.  These  are  some  of  the  points  in  which  the  thmk- 
ers  of  the  last  seven  centuries  of  the  old  era  seem  to  go 
beyond  the  great  seers  of  the  earlier  centuries. 

The  old  era  and  the  new.  We  can  be  very  clear  in 
our  minds  that  through  the  leaders  whose  deeds  and 
words  are  recorded  in  the  Old  Testament  there  were  re- 
vealed and  preserved  the  most  precious  truths  that 
make  life  worth  living  and  the  world  a  fit  place  to  live 
in.  Yet  John  saw  that  there  must  be  a  greater  than 
any  of  these  great  leaders  still  to  come.  As  one  passes 
from  the  last  of  the  Hebrew  prophets  who  called  his 
wandering  people  back  to  the  great  truths  of  the  Old 
Testament  and  takes  up  the  life  and  teachings  of  our 
Lord  Jesus  Christ,  he  should  carry  with  him  a  clear 
knowledge  of  just  what  the  old  leaders  stood  for. 
Then  and  then  only  can  one  begin  to  understand  why 
he  that  is  but  little  in  the  kingdom  of  heaven  which 
Jesus  introduced  is  greater  than  the  great  prophet. 


INDEX 


Agur,  words  of,  i6^{. 

Abraham  and  child  sacrifice,  sf. 

Ahab,  false  prophet,  51. 

Alexander  the  Great,  leaves  Pto- 
lemy in  Egypt,  188;  in  Daniel's 
vision,  201. 

Alexander  Jannaeus,  rule  of, 
229ff. ;  struggle  with  Pharisees, 
229f. ;  expansion  of  territory  un- 
der, 231. 

Alexandra,  rule  of,  232f. ;  favors 
Pharisees,    232f. 

Alphabetic  poems,  166. 

Altar  of  Temple,  rebuilt,  98 ;  pol- 
luted,  190;   new  built,  207. 

Amon,  reign  of,  9,  11. 

Amos,  5,  21. 

Anathoth,  home  of  Jeremiah,  23. 

Antigonus,  leads  rebellion,  244; 
supported  by  Parthians,  245; 
king,  248 ;  mutilates  Hyrcanus, 
248 ;  beheaded,  250. 

Antiochus  Epiphanes,  persecution 
of,  i88ff. ;  eastern  expedition, 
193;   death  of,  209. 

Antiochus  the  Great,  188. 

Antipas,  Herod,  the  fox,  264;  kills 
John,  265. 

Antipater,  interferes  in  Judea, 
235;  minister  of  Hyrcanus  II, 
239;  aids  Caesar,  240;  dissuades 
Herod,  243;  poisoned,  243. 

Antony,  appoints  Phasael  and 
Herod  tetrarchs,  244;  gets 
Herod   appointed  king,  247. 

Apocalypse,  first  example  of,  82; 
contrast  to  prophecy,  83;  ex- 
ample in  Joel,  i57ff. ;  general 
character  of,  205. 

Apollonius,  defeated  by  Judas,  192. 

Aretas,    supports    Antipater,    23sf. 

Aristobulus  I,  rule  of,  22-jfi. 
Aristobulus   II,   favors   Sadducees, 


233;  becomes  Icing,  234;  taken 
to  Rome,  237. 

Aristobulus,  brother  of  Mariamne, 
high  priest,  251  ;   drowned,  252. 

Artaxerxes  Ochus,  184. 

Assyria,  campaign  against  Egypt, 
5;  dominant  in  Palestine,  6,  12; 
beginning  of  downfall,  I2,  13, 
19,  21;  division  of,  30;  contrast 
of  Cyrus's  policy,  96;  religion 
of,  183. 

Atonement,  day  of,  147. 

Augury,  2f. 

Augustus,  birth,  237;  gets  Herod 
appointed  king,  247;  confirms 
Herod  in  rule,  253;  banishes 
Archelaus,  260;  appoints  pro- 
curators, 262. 

Babylonia,  divides  Assyria,  30; 
new  empire  of,  43 ;  Jews  de- 
ported to  48f.,  58;  in  late  exile, 
87f. ;  downfall  predicted,  92; 
conquered  by  Cyrus,  96;  Jews 
in,  after  exile,  97. 

Baptism,  in  Judaism,  263  ;  John's, 
263. 

Baruch,  scribe  of  Jeremiah,  38f., 
56. 

Belshazzar,   i99f. 

Bethel,  altar  defiled,  18;  deputa- 
tion  from,   m. 

Beth  Horon,   126,  193. 

Bildad,  character  in  Job,  I73f. 


Caesar,  Julius,  favors  Jews,  24of. 
Caesarea,  built  by  Herod,  254. 
Cambyses,  conquest  of  Egypt  and 

death,  98f. 
Carchemish,  battle  of,  30,  43. 
Cassius   lays  tribute  on   Palestine, 

243. 


275 


276 


INDEX 


Chebar,    river    of,    identified,    49; 

Ezekiel    by    the,    60. 
Child   sacrifice,    3f.,    18. 
Citadel,  Syrian  in  Jerusalem,  i9of., 

209  f. 
Cleopatra  offers  Herod  command, 

246f. ;   plots  against  Herod,  252. 
Crassus,  plunders  temple,  240. 
Cyrus,  deliverer  of  exiles,  90;  rise 

to  power,  90;  captures  Babylon, 

96;    styled    Jehovah's    anointed, 

96;    contribution   to  civilization, 

96. 

Daniel,  Ezekiel's  reference  to,  74; 
stories  concerning,  1976?.;  vi- 
sions of,  201  ff.;  book  of,  204f. 

Darius,  becomes  king,  99 ;  sup- 
presses rebellions,  106;  organ- 
izes empire,  115,  216;  invades 
Greece,  116;  in  the  Daniel 
stories,  200. 

Dedication,  feast  of,  206. 

Deuteronomy,  composition  of,  7 ; 
code  of,  7f.,  isff. ;  lost,  9;  found, 
I4f. ;  enforced  by  Josiah,  18; 
teaching  as  to  permanence  in 
land,  32f. 

Edom,  presses  on  Judah,  117,  195; 
defeated  by  Judas,  207 ;  incor- 
porated by  John,  224;  Herod  an 
Edomite,  225. 

Egypt,  conquered  by  Assyria,  5 ; 
gains  independence,  i2f. ;  con- 
quers Syria,  i9f.,  30;  driven  out 
of  Asia,  3of.,  41,  43 ;  Jews  flee 
to,  59;  early  prophets  of,  69f. ; 
futility  of  aid,  75f. ;  doom  pro- 
nounced, 76,  85;  conquered  by 
Cambyses,  98 ;  under  Ptolemies, 
188. 

Eleasa,  battle  of,  2iof. 

Eliashib,  high  priest,  136. 

Elihu,  character  in  Job,  176. 

Eliphaz,  character  in  Job,  173. 

Enchantment,  2f. 

Enlil,  temple  of,  60. 

Esther,  story  of,  2i4ff. 

Exile,  of  597  B.  C,  48f. ;  of  586  B  C, 


58 ;  opportunity  for  return  from, 

96f. 

Ezra,  relation  to  Nehemiah,  i^zi.; 
opposition  to  foreign  marriages, 
143 ;  the  scribe,  i42f. ;  promul- 
gates law,  144,  148. 

Ezekiel,  carried  to  Babylon,  60; 
preparation,  6of.,  63 ;  activity, 
592-588  B.C.,  6iff.,  69,  72ff. ;  in- 
augural vision,  61 ;  watchman, 
65f.,  tile  prophecy,  66f. ;  forty 
year  prophecy,  67 ;  symbolic 
acts,  66ff. ;  vision  of  Jehovah 
leaving  Jerusalem,  72?.;  and 
false  prophets,  73f. ;  eagle 
prophecy,  74f. ;  death  of  wife, 
77f. ;  activity,  588-570  B.C., 
76ff. ;  shepherd  prophecy,  78ff. ; 
valley  of  bones,  81;  two  sticks, 
81 ;  originator  of  Apocalypse, 
82f.,  86;  ship  of  state,  84;  de- 
veloper of  priestly  religion,  85f., 
146;  influence,  86. 

Foreign  marriages,  ii7ff. 

Gedaliah,  59. 

Habakkuk,  4if. 

Haggai,  rouses  people  to  build 
temple,  99ff. ;  estimate  of,  io3f. ; 
contrasted  with  Zechariah,    113. 

Haman,  character  in  Esther,  zijS. 

Hananiah,  false  prophet,  54. 

Hasidim,  rally  to  Mattathias,  192; 
writer  of  Daniel  one  of,  204; 
withdraw  from  Judas,  210; 
Pharisees  successors,  225f. 

Herod,  an  Idumean,  225 ;  gov- 
ernor of  Galilee,  241 ;  before 
Sanhedrin,  24if. ;  tribute  to  Cas- 
sius,  243;  quells  uprising,  244; 
tetrarch,  244 ;  flees  to  Rome, 
245ff. ;  appointed  king,  247 ;  sub- 
dues Palestine,  248ff. ;  marries 
Mariamne,  250;  kills  Aristobu- 
lus,  25if. ;  confirmed  by  Augus- 
tus, 253 ;  in  Augustan  age, 
253f. ;  builds  cities,  254;  rebuilds 
temple,  255;  kills  Hyrcanus  and 


INDEX 


277 


Mariamne,      257;      kills      sons, 

257^.;  estimate  of,  258f.;  death, 

259. 
Herodias,    marries    Anlipas,    264; 

secures  death  of  John,  265. 
Herodium,   246. 
Hexateuch,   I49f- 
liezekiah,  reforms  of,  if.;  ancestor 

of  Zephaniah,   ii. 
High  places,  still  sacred  sites,  16; 

destruction  ordered,  16;  defiled, 

18.  . 

High  priest,  Joshua,  98;  first  ap- 
pearance of  title,  108;  allied  to 
Tobiah,  136;  a  Hellenist  high 
priest,  210;  Jonathan  appointed, 
212;  Simon,  212;  Alexander, 
229;  Hyrcanus  II,  232;  Ananel, 
251  ;   Aristobulus,  251. 

Hilkiah,  the  priest,  i4f. 

History,  prophetic  compiled,  67, 
149;  priestly  compiled,  i48f. ; 
combination  of  priestly  and  pro- 
phetic,  149^- 

Holiness  code,  i45f. 

Hosea,   5;    influence   on   Jeremiah, 

24.  27- 
Huldah,    the    prophetess,    17. 
Hvrcanus  II,  becomes  king,  2341-; 

under  Rome,  239;   mutilated  by 

Antigonus,  248  ;  killed  by  Herod, 

257. 

Idumea,  see  Edom.  , 

Immortality,  hope  in  Job,  1751- '.  >" 

Daniel,  204. 
Isaiah,  social  teachings,  2;  tradi- 
tion as  to  death,  4 ;  policy  vindi- 
cated, 6;  policy  advocated  by 
Jeremiah,  27;  influence  on  tem- 
ple-faith,  32;    inaugural   vision, 

Israel,  Josiah  adds  to  Judah,  18. 

Jehoahaz,  deposed,   31;   dirge  for, 

Jehoiachin,  surrenders,  48  ;  carried 

to  Babylonia,  48. 
Jehoiakim,    vassal    of    Egypt,    31; 

burns   Jeremiah's    writings,    39; 


rebels,    43;    contrasted    with   Jo- 
siah, 44;   death,  48. 
Jeremiah,     occasion     of     prophetic 
call,  13,  26;  home  and  boyhood, 
23ff. ;     inaugural     vision,     25tf., 
64f. ;    political    policy,   28;    rela- 
tion   to    reform,    29;    activity    in 
Egyptian  period,  3itf.,  42f. ;  trial 
for    treason,    33f.;    lesson    from 
potter,  34f. ;  plots  against,  36;  in 
stocks,     36;      inner      life,     37f. ; 
prophecies    written,    38ff. ;    sev- 
enty   year    prediction,    42,    107, 
112,  203;  in  last  years  of  Jehoi- 
akim,   44ff.;     weeping    prophet, 
46;    and    Rechabites,    46ff . ;    be- 
tween   deportations,    siff-;    con- 
flict  with    false    prophets,    siflf.; 
condemned    to    death,    56;    buys 
land,    56;    new    covenant,    57f. ; 
last  days,   58f. 
Job,     Ezekiel's    reference    to,    74, 
169;   old  story  of,   i69ff.;   poem 
of,  17211. 
Joel,      describes      and      interprets 
plague,      i52ff.;      and      earlier 
prophets,        154^-;        immediate 
service,  157;   apocaKptic  vision, 
i57flF. ;  Peter's  use  of  vision,  159- 
John  the  Baptist,  birth,  260;  youth, 
26off. ;    preaching,    263;    baptiz- 
ing,     263 ;      predicts      Messiah, 
263f. ;  rebukes  Antipas,  264;  im- 
prisoned, 264;   killed,   265. 
John  Hvrcanus,  rule  of,  223!?.;  de- 
stroys   Samaritan    temple,    224; 
conquers  Idumea    (Edom),  224; 
trouble     with     Pharisees,     226; 
death,  227. 
Jonah,  the  historical,  179;  story  ot, 
i8oflF. ;    interpretation   of,    i84tf.; 
relation  to  Great  Unknown,  185. 
Jonathan,    208,    211;    high    priest, 

212;  death,  212. 
Joshua,   high   priest,   98;    supports 

temple  building,  100,  103. 
Josiah,  reign  of,   iiflF.;   last  years, 

29.  , 

Judas     Maccabeus,     leads     revolt, 
i92fl.;  restores  worship,  207;  se- 


278 


INDEX 


cures      religious     liberty,      210; 
death  of,  210;  estimate  of,  211. 

Lemuel,  words  of,   166. 

Levites,  prominence,  115;  inter- 
marry  with   foreigners,    118. 

Leviticus,  unknown  until  after  ex- 
ile, 144;  compiled  in  Babylonia, 
147;  promulgated  in  Palestine, 
148. 

Lysias,  legate  of  Syria,  i93ff. 

Malachi,  work  of,  116;  on  divorce 
and  foreign  marriages,  117S.; 
method  of,  iigf. ;  promises  Eli- 
jah, i2of. ;  estimate  of,  i2if. 

Manasseh,   reign  of,  iS. 

Marduk,  god  of  Babylon,  87f. 

Mariamne,  betrothed  to  Herod, 
245;    married,   250;   killed,   257. 

Masada,  246. 

Mattathias,  igii. 

Medes,  attacks  on  Nineveh,  12,  13, 
19;  divide  Assyria,  30;  united 
to  Persia,  90. 

Messianic  hope,   102,   109,   263. 

Micah,  social  teachings,  2,  4;  re- 
membered   in    Jeremiah's    time, 

34- 
Mizpah,  59. 
Modin,  191. 
Monotheism,  cost  of  faith  in,  71 ; 

expression  of  by  Unknown,  9if. ; 

Israel's  great  gift,  272. 
Mordecai,     character     in     Esther, 

21711. 

Nabonidus,  king  of  Babylon,   87f. 

Nabopolassar,  gets  Assyrian  terri- 
tory, 30.        _  _ 

Nahum,  describes  siege  of  Nine- 
veh, 19. 

Nebuchadrezzar,  wins  battle  of 
Carchemish,  30,  43  ;  takes  Jeru- 
salem, 48,  54,  58;  in  Daniel, 
i97fF. 

Nehemiah,  courtier  in  Persia,  123; 
learns  of  Jerusalem,  i23fl. ;  gov- 
ernor of  Judea,  i25ff. ;  rebuilds 
walls,   i27ff.,   i4of. ;   diary  com- 


pared with  Caesar,  i34f. ;  re- 
turn and  second  visit,  i35f. ;  ex- 
pels grandson  of  high  priest, 
136;  enforces  Sabbath,  137,  140; 
reforms  marriage,  137  f. ;  insti- 
tutes temple   tax,   i39f. 

Necoh,  Pharaoh  annexes  Syria,  30; 
defeated  by  Nebuchadrezzar, 
30;  makes  Jehoiakim  king,  31; 
withdraws  to  Egypt,  41. 

Nineveh,  temple  of  Ishtar  in,  12; 
seige,  12,  13,  19;  site  forgotten, 
i25f. ;  in  Jonah  story,  180, 
i82ff.,   186. 

Nippur,  60. 

Octavian,  see  Augustus. 
Omens,  3. 

Parthians,  oppose  Darius,  106; 
rise  of  kingdom,  224;  support 
Antigonus,  245. 

Pashur,  37. 

Pentateuch,  i5of. 

Persia,  Cyrus  king  of,  90;  new 
imperial  policy  of,  96;  religion 
of,  91,  108;  Darius  master  of, 
106;  Darius  organizes,  115; 
driven  from  Europe,  116;  in 
Daniel's  visions,  2oiff. 

Pharisees,  successors  of  Hasidim, 
226;  trouble  with  John  Hyrca- 
nus,  226;  favored  by  Alexandra, 

232f. 

Phasael,  governor  of  Judea,  241 ; 
dissuades  Herod,  243 ;  puts 
down  uprising,  243f. ;  made  te- 
trarch,  244;  captured,  245; 
death,  248. 

Pilate,  Pontius,  262. 

Pompey,  entered  temple,  114,  238; 
eastern  conquests,  236;  takes 
Palestine,  236f. ;  death,  238f. 

Priests,  function,  i44f. ;  compile 
holiness  code,  i45f-;  develop  rit- 
ual law,  i46f. ;  superseding 
prophets,  i55f. ;  Sadducees'  rela- 
tion to,  227. 

Procession  street  in  Babylon,  87. 

Proverbs  of  Solomon,  162;  earliest 


INDEX 


279 


collection  of,  162;  second  collec- 
tion, 163;  other  collections,  164; 
book  of,  164  ff . ;  current  philos- 
ophy of,   172. 

Ptolemy  Lagus,  i88. 

Ptolemy,  son  of  Abubus,  kills 
Simon,  213;  kills  sons  and  wife 
of  Simon,  223. 

Purim,  feast  of,  22if. 

Reaction,  forces  of,  if.;  5,  9;  long 

dominance,    26. 
Rechabites,  46ff. 
Return  from  exile,  opportunity  for, 

96f. ;   of  small   company,   98. 
Rights  of  the  people,  4. 

Sadducees,  origin  of,  226f . ;  perse- 
cuted under  Alexandra,  233  ;  in 
power  under  Aristobulus,  234. 

Samaritans,  origin  of,  I28f. ;  con- 
spire against  Nehemiah,  i28ff. ; 
separate  temple,  138;  Penta- 
teuch of,  151;  temple  destroyed, 
224;  hostility  of,  225. 

Sanballat  the  Horonite,  126;  con- 
spires against  Nehemiah,  i28ff. ; 
i3iff. ;  daughter's  marriage,  136. 

Sanhedrin,  under  Alexandra,  233. 

Satan,   108. 

Scaurus,  236. 

Scythian  invasion,  13,  28;  influence 
on  Zephaniah,  21 ;  on  Jeremiah, 
26,  28. 

Sebaste,   254. 

Seleucids,    188. 

Seron,  Syrian  general,  i92f. 

Servant  of  Jehovah,  development 
of  idea,  92f. ;  fulfilment  in 
Jesus,    93f. 

Shaphan,  the  scribe,  i4f. 

Shemiah,  the  false  prophet,  51. 

Simon   ben    Shetach,   232f. 

Simon  Maccabeus,  208,  211;  high 
priest,  212;  civil  governor,  etc., 
212;    death,   213. 

Sirach,   son  of,   168. 

Sirush,   a  dragon,   60,   88. 

Suffering  Ser\'^nt,  s«e  Servant  of 
Jehovah. 


Syria,  kingdom  of,  rival  factions 
in,  209;  in  control  of  Palestine, 
211 ;  Palestine  free  from,  212; 
ended  by  Pompey,  236. 

Tammuz,  worship,  72. 

Tarshish,   180. 

Temple,  repaired,  i3f. ;  purified, 
18;  polluted,  72;  destroyed,  icxa; 
rebuilt,  looff.,  113;  significance 
of  second,  104;  crudity  of  sec- 
ond, io6f. ;  113;  holy  of  holies 
empty,  114,  189;  plundered  by 
Antiochus,  189;  rededicated, 
207;  plundered  by  Crassus,  240; 
rebuilt  by  Herod,  255. 

Tobiah  the  Ammonite,  126;  sup- 
ports Sanballat,  i29f.,  132;  al- 
lied  to  high  priest,   136. 

Tyre,   doom   and   capture,    84f. 

Unknown,  the  Great,  a  prophet, 
87;  songs  of  deliverance,  88flf. ; 
and  polytheism,  91 ;  one  voice  or 
several?,  94f. ;  Jesus's  use  of, 
95- 

Vashti,  character  in  Esther,  216. 
Virtuous  Woman,  poem  on,  166. 

Wise  Men,  in  Greece  and  Israel, 
i6of. ;  Solomon's  relation  to, 
i6if.;  estimate  of,  167;  writings, 
i67f. ;  current  philosophy  of, 
172,  i74f.,  177.  See  also  Prov- 
erbs. 

Witches,  3. 

Wizards,  3,  18. 

Xerxes,   1*6,  2156?. 

Zechariah,  supports  Haggai,  105 ; 
visions  of,  losff. ;  contrasted 
with   Haggai,   113. 

Zedekiah,  becomes  king,  51 ;  tries 
to  enforce   law,   55,    57. 

Zedekia!  ,  a  false  prophet,  51. 

Zephaniah,  probably  of  royal  fam- 
ily,   11;    occasion   of   preaching, 


28o  INDEX 

13;  not  consulted,  17,  28f. ;  mes-  lem,  98;   supports  temple  build- 
sage,   2iff. ;    relation   to   reform,  ing,    100,    103;    pictured   as   Je- 
29.  hovah's  signet,  102. 
Zerubbabel,    governor    in    Jerusa-  Zophar,  character  in  Job,  174. 


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